Thematic Auction in Geneva:The Evolut...

Hotel Noga Hilton, Geneva, Nov 16, 2002

LOT 138

Unique and MostComplicated Wristwatch in the World Gérald Genta, Geneva, "Grande Sonnerie",No. 1, Ref. G0025.7. Made in 1994, part of a series of only four examples: one in yellow gold, one in pink gold (this lot), one in white gold and one in platinum.Exceptionally fine and equally important, self-winding double-train, water-resistant gentleman's pink gold wristwatch with Westminster chime, Grande et Petite Sonnerie and silent display, four gongs and four hammers, minute-repeating, perpetual calendar, leap year indication, a second 24-hour time zone, 48-hour power reserve indicator for the going and striking trains, with one-minute tourbillon regulator in fully engraved movement, and a pink gold Gérald Genta deployant clasp.

CHF 0 - 0

EUR 0 - 0

Sold: CHF 311,500

C. two-body, truncated cone-shaped, stepped and decorated in a wave pattern, octagonal, glazed back with sapphire crystal secured by bolts, "Vendôme" lugs with pink gold screwed bars, Genta winding-crown at 3, Grande et Petite Sonnerie at 7, repeater at 9, silent/striking at 11, pushbuttons on the band for adjusting the retrograde calendar and 24-hour indications. D. gold, with four subsidiary mother-of-pearl dials, tritium dot indexes, four auxiliary sectors in Arabic writing for silence-chimet 10, going-train up-and-down indication at 2, 48-hour power-reserve indication at 4, Grande et Petite Sonnerie indicator at 8, second 24-hour time zone under the 12. Pink gold tritium-coated "bâton" hands, red hand for the seconds. M. Cal. 31.5 mm. (14'''), engraved with grape motifs and gilded, stamped with the Geneva Quality Hallmark, 57 jewels, three-arm polished steel tourbillon carriage, lateral lever escapement, monometallic balance with screws, self-compensating flat balance spring, two-irectional rotor, winding-going train in one direction and striking-train in the other, tandem winding.Signed on dial, case and movement.Diam. 39 mm., thickness 15 mm.


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Grading System
Grade:
Case: 2

Very good

Movement: 2*

Very good

Overhaul recommended, at buyer's expense

Dial: 2 - 01

Notes

No other wristwatch has complications and features com-parable to this one. Gérald Genta designed and produced the present wristwatch to commemorate the 25th anniversary of the Gérald Genta company. It is part of a series of four unique wristwatches, launched in Basel in 1994, which greatly impressed the horological community. Of the four wristwatches in this series, all are different in terms of the complications and of the metals used for the cases (18K yellow or white or pink gold or in platium). Each is there-fore unique. To this first series followed another 6 series of four wristwatches each. Altogether Gérald Genta created 28 unique wristwatches, with the same basic movement but each featuring a different set of complications and different types of cases.