Important Collectors’ Wristwatches, P...

Geneva, Nov 16, 2008

LOT 281

One-Minute Tourbillon S. Smith & Son, 9. Strand, London, Makers to the Admiralty and the Indian Government, No. 302.41. The case with London hallmarks for 1904-05. Very fine and very rare, 18K gold, hunting-cased keyless pocket chronometer with one-minute tourbillon regulator and 24-hour power reserve indication.

CHF 90,000 - 150,000

USD 83,000 - 140,000 / EUR 55,000 - 95,000

C. Four-body, "pommes et filet", by Samuel Smith, mastermark SS, solid, polished, five-bar hinge, swivel antitheft pendant. Hinged gold cuvette. D. Matte silver, champlevé radial Roman numerals, outer minute track, subsidiary seconds, 24-hour power-reserve indicator below XII o'clock. Blued steel spade hands. M. 48 mm (21'''), half-plate, reversed fusee and chain, jeweled to the center, one-minute Nicole Nielsen equidistant arm tourbillon carriage, lateral polished steel bridge, English lateral lever escapement with lift on the pallets, cut bimetallic compensation balance with gold temperature and meantime adjustment screws, free-sprung blued steel balance spring with double overcoiled Phillips outer terminal curve, pallet fork with unusual gold poising/calibrating screw. Dial and movement signed, case numbered. Diam. 58 mm.


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Grading System
Grade:
Case: 2

Very good
Movement: 2

Very good
Dial: 3-7-01

Good

Oxidized

HANDS Original

Notes

The watch employs a number of features assuring the most accurate timekeeping; the tourbillon regulator, averaging error, the free-sprung double overcoiled balance spring which assures superior isochronism, the reverse fusee, first used by Mudge which lessens friction on the center wheel pinion. The watch comes from a small series of precision tourbillons that the Smith Co. destined for the Kew Observatory Contests between 1904 and 1909.
Literature: The watch is described and illustrated in: "Le Tourbillon", Reinhard Meis, Editions de l'Amateur, Paris, 1990, p. 209.