Important Collectors Wristwatches, P...
Geneva, Oct 04, 2009
LOT 353
Westminster Chime Carillon Minute-Repeating Longines, movement by Constant Piguet, Le Sentier, No. 3774, Swiss patent No. 11948. Made circa 1910. Very fine and very rare, 18K gold, hunting-cased, keyless, minute-repeating pocket watch with carillon Westminster chime with four hammers on four gongs. Accompanied by the original fitted wooden box with external repeat slide.
CHF 30,000 - 50,000
USD 28,000 - 47,000 / EUR 20,000 - 33,000
Sold: CHF 54,000
C. Four-body, "bassine", polished. Hinged gold cuvette engraved with prize medals. D. White enamel, large Breguet numerals, outer minute track, subsidiary seconds. Blued steel spade hands. M. 45 mm., 20???, gilt brass, 32 jewels, straight-line lever escapement, cut bimetallic compensation balance with blued steel Breguet balance spring, index regulator, repeating on four gongs with four hammers activated by a slide on the band. Dial, movement, case and cuvette signed. Diam. 54 mm.
| Grading System | |
|---|---|
Grade: |
|
Case: 3 |
Good |
Movement: 2 |
Very good |
Dial: 2-01 |
Very good HANDS Original |
Notes
Carillon minute repeating watches are very rare; only a few are known with Westminster chimes. On March 20, 1896, Constant Piguet patented this system of minute-repeat with carillon, under the No. 11948. The makers that specialized in this type of watch were Constant Piguet, Eduard JeanRichard, and Victorin Piguet. The known tunes played by four hammer carillons are: Westminster chimes, the Swiss National anthem, and God Save the King. Similar watches were sold by Antiquorum, Geneva, October 19, 2002, lot 8; Hong Kong, July 10, 2005, lot 83; Geneva, May 14, 2006, lot 783 and October 15, 2006, lot 404.
Longines Longines was founded in 1832 by Ernest Francillon at Saint-Imier, Switzerland. The Longines name was once displayed above the analog clocks topping many scoreboards in stadiums and baseball parks in America, such as the clock at Yankee Stadium before its remodeling in the early 1970's, and the one at Forbes Field in Pittsburgh in later years. Longines is also famous for its 'Aviators' watches. It is said that Albert Einstein used a Longines pocket watch, and the company?s watches have been worn by many celebrities, including Humphrey Bogart, Audrey Hepburn, Billy Zane and Harry Connick Jr. The company's motto is "Elegance is an attitude".