Collector's Pocket Watches, Wristwatc...

Noga Hilton, Geneva, Apr 12, 2003

LOT 29

Henri Majewski, Genève, No. 341, with Bulletin de Marche dated 22 May, 1877. Very fine and possibly unique, 18K gold hunting-cased keyless astronomical perpetual calendar pocket chronometer with phases of the moon in original leather fitted box, accompanied by a gold setting pin, original certificate and Majewski?s hand-written setting instructions, probably destined for the 1878 Paris Universal Exhibition.

CHF 13,000 - 15,000

EUR 9,000 - 10,300 / USD 9,600 - 11,000

Sold: CHF 46,000

C. Four-body, ?bassine et filets?, polished with monogrammed front, gold hinged cuvette. D. White enamel, Roman numerals, outer minute track with five-minute Arabic markers, three subsidiary sunk dials for days of the week, date and months, phases of the moon aperture with moon?s age at 12 o?clock. Blued steel ?spade? hands. M. 43 mm. (19???), frosted gilt, 20 jewels, straight line calibrated lever escapement, cut bimetallic compensation balance with gold screws and Breguet balance spring, wolf-tooth winding wheels, lever-set with mechanism disengaging the setting by closing the front cover, unusual construction of the calendar mechanism set directly on the front plate, annual calendar wheel is divided into 48 notches. Signed on the case and the box. Diam. 54 mm.


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Grading System
Grade: AAA

Excellent
Case: 3

Good
Movement: 3*

Good

Overhaul recommended, at buyer's expense
Dial: 3 - 13 - 01

Notes

An interesting watch by a former Patek Philippe worker. Interestingly, the watch has a dial design used by Patek Philippe for their best adjusted triple-complicated watch (see lot 133). Henri Majewski, whose father was also named Henri, was born in Lwów, Poland. In the 1830?s he left for Switzerland, where he worked with Jan Klott in La Chaux-de-Fonds. They had a workshop and retail business which traded with Poland. Majewski?s father represented them in Lwów. Subsequently, Majewski moved to Geneva where he worked for Patek & Czapek, later establishing his own shop which specialized in repassage ? the adjusting and finishing of movements. In 1860 he received an Honorary Mention at the Besançon Observatory Contest, in 1862 a Medal of Merit at the Industrial Exposition in Stuttgart and a prize from Geneva's "Société des Arts?, and in 1878 a Bronze Medal for complicated mechanisms at the Paris Universal Exposition. The quality of the present watch strongly suggests that Majewski included it in his display at the Exhibition. At one point Gostkowski, Jr., the son of one of Patek?s partners, worked for Majewski.