Important Watches

Geneva, Mar 20, 2010

LOT 68

Louis Moinet Vertalis Tourbillon - Piece Unique No. 01/01 Louis Moinet, Switzerland, "Vertalis Tourbillon ? Piece Unique", No. 01/01. Sold in 2010. Extremely fine and unique, 18K pink and white gold, water-resistant wristwatch with one-minute tourbillon, 72-hour powerreserve and an 18K pink gold and black titanium deployant clasp. Accompanied by the Louis Moinet "Hidden Secret No.4" box, Certificate of Origin and booklet.

CHF 90,000 - 120,000

USD 85,000 - 110,000 / EUR 60,000 - 80,000

Sold: CHF 108,000

C. Three-body, made up of 50 parts, massive, polished and brushed, inclined and stepped bezel with five screws, white gold flanges continuing the design through the case from the center bridge with pink gold screws, stepped sides, curved lugs with screwed pink gold bars, transparent back with six screws, sapphire crystals. D. Anthracite with "Cotes du Jura" decoration, applied pink gold dot hour markers and Louis Moinet symbol, apertures for the tourbillon and spring barrel for power-reserve. Pink gold-plated dauphine hands. M. 14 ½???, rhodium-plated, "Cotes du Jura" decoration, 19 jewels, some in gold chatons, special "octopus" spring for pull-out piece, lever and click, 21,600 vph, skeletonized spring barrel, lateral lever escapement, monometallic balance, self-compensating flat balance spring, index regulator, one-minute tourbillon regulator with polished steel three equidistant-arm carriage, brushed and polished bridge extending vertically to secure the barrel above. Dial, case and movement signed. Diam. 47 mm. Thickness 14 mm.


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Grading System
Grade:
Case: 1

As new
Movement: 1

As new
Dial: 1-01

As new

HANDS Original

Notes

As its name implies, the difference here is all about verticality. Vertalis intensifies the magic of the tourbillon by connecting its carriage to the barrel by means of a handdrawn and bevelled vertical bar. To add to the fascinating vision of the torbillon carriage in motion, Vertalis offers an openworked version of the barrel. The latter?s cover performs an average rotation in 6 hours and enables one to keep a visual check on the power-reserve according to the state of wind of the barrel spring. Courtesy Louis Moinet SA.
What is a Tourbillon regulator? A Tourbillon is a regulating mechanism in which the escapement of a movement is housed within a revolving carriage. It was developed in an effort to attain better precision. When a watch is in a vertical position, the force of gravity will speed the balance wheel as it moves in its downward (arc) direction and slow it as it moves upward, creating deviational errors of timekeeping. By placing the balance and escapement in a carriage that revolves 360° per minute, these errors become averaged and the timekeeping becomes constant and consequently adjustable. Created by Abraham Louis Breguet in 1795, the tourbillon is considered a difficult and complex achievement by any watch manufacturer.