Important Collectors Wristwatches, P...
Geneva, Oct 04, 2009
LOT 349
Watch with Westminster Chimes Repeating & Perpetual Calendar One of Only 2 Known Examples. Edouard JeanRichard, Le Locle. Made circa 1925. Extremely fine and equally rare, platinum, hunting-cased, keyless minute-repeating carillon watch with Westminster chimes on four gongs with four hammers, perpetual calendar and phases of the moon.
CHF 120,000 - 180,000
USD 115,000 - 170,000 / EUR 80,000 - 120,000
Sold: CHF 168,000
C. Five-body, "bassine et filets", engine-turned with polished borders, pushers for calendar setting protruding from the bezel. Hinged glazed platinum-rimmed cuvette for viewing the movement. D. Matte silver, black painted Breguet numerals, outer minute divisions, four subsidiary dials for days of the week, date, months and four-year leap cycle, seconds concentric with phases of the moon aperture. Black steel Breguet hands. M. 45 mm (20'''), rhodium plated, 31 jewels, straight-line lever escapement, cut bimetallic compensation balance, blued steel Breguet balance spring with terminal curve, index regulator, repeating on four gongs with four hammers activated by a slide on the band. Dial signed. Diam. 55 mm.
| Grading System | |
|---|---|
Grade: |
|
Case: 2-16 |
Very good Rusted |
Movement: 2 |
Very good |
Dial: 2-01 |
Very good HANDS Original |
Notes
Westminster Chimes The Westminster chimes are more correctly called Cambridge Chimes. They first appeared in 1793 at St. Mary?s Church, Cambridge. They were written by Rev Dr. Joseph Jowett and Dr. John Randall working with undergraduate William Crotch (later first Principal of the Royal Academy of Music) and were adopted by Lord Grimthorpe, designer of the great clock ?Big Ben? ? for the Palace of Westminster. The chimes are based on four notes from Handel?s Messiah and are known locally in Cambridge as ?Jowett?s Jig?.
Edouard JeanRichard 1867-1944 From a watchmaking family, Edouard JeanRichard was the son of Virgile and Adèle JeanRichard, and the brother of Achille Jean- Richard. He was born in La Sagne on October 1867 and died in Le Locle on June 30, 1944. JeanRichard founded his watchmaking firm in 1915, having previously made ebauches for other companies. He specialized in musical carillon watches with multiple gongs and can be considered the 20th century master of the carillon watch, along with Constant Piguet. JeanRichard made a carillon watch with seven gongs playing the Swiss National Anthem (see: Antiquorum April 13, 2003, lot 558). The company was listed in 1923, and the following year advertized chronographs, sports timers, ring watches, jewelry watches, women's wristwatches, fly-back repeaters,and ultra-thin watches. Another advertisement from the same period stated that the company made repeating carillon watches with multiple hammers playing the whole of "God save the King" which was then the same tune as the Swiss National Anthem; very few of these were made. In the La Chaux-de-Fonds Musée International d'Horlogerie there is a gold hunting-cased quarter-repeating watch playing the "Ranz des vaches" on six gongs. JeanRichard's movements were used by such horological masters as Paul Ditisheim.
The 7 Complications of the watch: Date Days of the week Months Perpetual calendar Moon phases and age Chronograph Minute-repeater