Important Modern & Vintage Timepieces

Geneva, Mar 17, 2013

LOT 414

HENRY CAPT ? DUAL TIME ZONE CHRONOGRAPH ? FOR THE ITALIAN DUCAL FAMILY CARAFA Henry Capt, Genève, ?Chronometre Chronographe Deux Tours D?Heures?, No. 33948. Made circa 1880. Extremely fine and very rare, independently adjustable dual time zone, 18K pink gold and enamel keyless pocket watch with chronograph and gold wheel train.

CHF 10,000 - 15,000

USD 11,000 - 16,000 / EUR 8,000 - 12,000

Sold: CHF 12,500

C. Four-body, bassine et filets, polished, the back decorated with the finely painted on enamel coat of arms of the Carafa family beneath a Ducal coronet and the motto ?Hoc Fac et Vives Sic Nunc Sic Semper?, the interior engraved with the technical details, button in the crown for start/stop and return-to-zero functions of the chronograph. Hinged gold cuvette. D. White enamel, two independently adjusable meantime dials, at 3 with Arabic numerals, at 9 with radial Roman numerals, each with outer minute track, outermost fifths of a second chronograph divisions with Arabic five-second numerals, concentric chronograph seconds track, subsidiary seconds. Blued steel spade hands. M. 19???, nickel plated, fausses cotes decoration, 21 jewels, gold wheel train, counterpoised and calibrated straight line lever escapement, cut bimetallic compensation balance with gold temperature and meantime adjustment screws, the balance cut far from the arm, Breguet palladium balance spring with overcoil, index regulator. Dial, case and movement signed. DIAM. 52 mm.


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Grading System
Grade: AAA

Excellent
Case: 2

Very good
Movement: 2*

Very good

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

Good

HANDS Original

Notes

HENRY CAPT An important and highly esteemed firm, originally established by Henry Daniel Capt (1773- 1843). In 1844 the firm was taken over by Henry?s son Henri Capt at Fusterie 85. In 1851 it moved to 174 rue du Rhône. In the late 1870?s the firm was bought by Gallopin. In 1878-9, the Henri Capt firm won the first prize at the Geneva Observatory. In 1882 they received another first prize for a watch with a palladium balance-spring, the first prize recorded as having been awarded for a watch with such a sping. He was the first Swiss maker to compete in the Kew Observatory Contests
This very high quality and unusual watch has provision for displaying the time in two different zones. Each dial is independently adjustable so that both local time and standard time can be set. The adoption of universal time zones had not yet taken place when this watch was made although Greenwich meantime was officially in place as standard time by 1880. The movement of the watch is highly finished and superior quality as one would expect from such a presitgeous maker as Henry Capt. The wheel train is made of gold and the balance is cut at a distance from the balance arm to minimise expansion errors (similar in appearance to the balance used later by Guillaume). The palladium balance spring was used by the Capt firm in their best complicated watches. The coat of arms on the present watch is that of the Carafa family of Italy. Their arms also appear on another important watch ? one of the smallest minute repeaters known which was sold by Antiquorum, Geneva, November 14, 2004, lot 435.