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Important collector's watches, wristw...

Hotel Richemond, Geneva, Apr 13, 2002

LOT 299

Fritz Piguet et Bachman, Geneva, No. 12351, circa 1895. Very fine and rare hunting cased keyless minute-repeating watch with split-seconds chronograph.

CHF 15,000 - 18,000

EUR 10,000 - 12,000 / USD 9,000 - 11,000

C. Four-body, ?bassine?, polished with monogrammed front, gold hinged cuvette over gold glazed bezel for viewing the movement. D. White enamel, Roman numerals, outer minute ring, outermost chronograph ring with five-minute Arabic figures, subsidiary sunk seconds. Blued steel ?spade? hands. M. 41 mm (18???), nickel, matted, 36 jewels, straight line calibrated equidistant lever escapement, cut-bimetallic compensation balance, Palladium Breguet balance spring with inner and outer terminal curves chronograph works on the dial plate, split seconds mechanism under the dial, repeating on gongs, slide on the band. Signed and numbered on the case, numbered also on the movement. Diam. 52 mm.


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Grading System
Grade: AAA

Excellent
Case: 3

Good
Movement: 3-21*

Good

Period

Overhaul recommended, at buyer's expense
Dial: 3-01

Good

HANDS Original

Notes

The company specialized in superbly adjusted complicated watches. They employed an excellent adjuster, the famous Favre-Rochat who competed with Batifolier. Both were expert adjusters specializing in complicated watches. Piguet & Bachman rivaled with Haas Neveux in Geneva Timing Competitions for the first place in complicated watches. Piguet & Bachman won the first prize in the 1888 Geneva Observatory Timing Contest, with 228.8 points. They also won a silver medal in the 1878 Paris Universal Exhibition and a gold medal in Melbourne in 1881. They were the top contenders among those specializing in complicated watches. The palladium balance spring, although more difficult to adjust than the steel one, has a better stability coefficient , therefore giving better results, especially in the long run.