Important Collectors' Watches, Pocket...

Geneva, Mar 16, 2008

LOT 543

Chronosport Lepine Lepine, ?Chronosport Lepine?, No. 27837, case No. 71763. Made circa 1900. Fine and very rare, gun-metal and yellow gold, keyless pocket watch with chronograph, inner red concentric scales for calculating timings of up to 1/10th second, outer blue scale to 200 units, and central instantaneous 30-minute register.

C. Four-body, "demi-bassine" polished, gold-rimmed bezel, gold thumbpiece, hinge and bow. Hinged gun-metal cuvette. D. White enamel with radial Roman numerals, outer minutes and fifths of a second divisions with Arabic five minutes/seconds numerals, outermost blue scale for "Calcule pour l'unite", inner red scale for "Calcule pour le 1/10e", innermost instantaneous 30-minute register. Blued steel Breguet hands. M. 42 mm., 19''', frosted gilt, 23 jewels, counterpoised straight-line lever escapement, cut bimetallic compensation balance, blued steel Breguet balance spring, index regulator, visible chronograph work. Dial signed. Diam. 55 mm.