Collector's Pocket Watches, Wristwatc...

Noga Hilton, Geneva, Apr 12, 2003

LOT 343

Henri GrandJean & Co, Locle, No. 33091, made for South American market, circa 1880.Very fine and rare 18K gold hunting-cased keyless minute-repeating watch in original wooden fitted box, accompanied by original certificate and a second signed and numbered dial.

CHF 13,000 - 15,000

EUR 9,000 - 15,000 / USD 9,600 - 11,000

C.Four-body, "bassine et filets" with flat covers richly engraved with foliate and floral pattern, bezels and band engraved with a repeated pattern, gold hinged cuvette. D. Silver with applied gold edge forming an elaborate scrolling pattern, center with applied gold bird in flight, rose and foliage, radial Roman numerals on matte and engraved ring, subsidiary sunk seconds. Blued steel "spade" hands. The second dial: White enamel, Roman numerals, outer minute track, subsidiary sunk seconds. Botwith snap-on fit for easy exchange. M. 39 mm. (18'''), nickel, "fausses côtes" decoration, 30 jewels, straight line calibrated lever escapement, cut bimetallic compensation balance with Breguet balance spring, wolf-tooth winding wheels, repeating on gongs through activating slide in the band.Signed on dial, case and movement.Diam. 49 mm.


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Grading System
Grade: AAA

Excellent
Case: 3
Movement: 3*
Dial: 3 - 01

Notes

A watch so complete is rarely found; even the certificate still has its original envelope. The certificate features, on the back, GrandJean's awards since 1841. At the first Universal Exposition in London in 1851, they won a First Class medal. The list continues until 1868, when they won an award for marine chronometers. Meantime they received at least eight different awards, not including the ones from the Neuchâtel Observatory.Henri Grandjean, along with Constant Girard (later Girard-Perregaux), was one of the first to enter the South American Market. He was also one of the first, along with Ulysse Nardin, to establish marine chronometer manufacturing in Switzerland.