Important Watches, Collector's Wristw...

The Ritz-carlton Hotel, Hong-kong, Jun 08, 2002

LOT 368

B. Haas Jeune, Geneva, No. 15690, circa 1890.Very fine and rare 18K gold hunting-cased, keyless two time zone, quarter-repeating watch wound by closing the front cover.

HKD 55,000 - 78,000

EUR 8,000 - 11,000 / USD 7,000 - 10,000

Sold: HKD 126,500

C. Four-body, "bassine et filets", front engraved with initials "ESW", back with a shield, gold hinged cuvette, gold lever at 2 o'clock for setting both time zones, at 12 o'clock for adjusting the second time zone. D. White enamel, Roman numerals, outer minute ring with five-minute blue Arabic figures, second zone sub-dial at 3 o'clock, subsidiary sunk seconds at 9 o'clock. Gold "spade" hands. M. 43 mm. (19'''), nickel, "fausses-côtes" decoration, 33 jewels, straight line calibrated lever escapeent, cut bimetallic compensation balance, Breguet balance spring, patented winding mechanism by closing the cover which transmits the power via two levers to a ratchet wheel on the barrel arbor with a safety device disengaging the mechanism when fully wound, going train with an additional wheel driving a steel wheel fixed to the center wheel having half the diameter of the driving one, second motion train driven from the canon pinion and advanced directly by pushing the teeth of the minute wheelpunched twice with Seal of Geneva Quality marks.Signed on the case, inscription inside front cover.Diam. 55 mm.


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Grading System
Grade: AAA

Excellent
Case: 3

Good
Movement: 3*

Good

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

Notes

In 1873 Benjamin Haas patented an interesting winding mechanism (English patent No. 3945 of Dec 2, 1873). The initial idea was progressively improved, and the one employed in this watch is a well-developed system with a 36-hour power reserve achieved by twelve closings. To accomplish this, Haas changed the going train, adding an additional wheel (described in detail above), which allowed him three-hour winding by a single closing. He also designed a safety device disengaging the mechanism when flly wound, which was necessary to prevent damage to the cover. The design was quite successful, and Haas employed it in some of his best watches, mostly with complications. This watch having an additional second time zone mechanism, extremely well-finished, punched with the Geneva Quality Mark, was apparently so highly regarded by Hass as to warrant the use of his patented winding system.