Important Collector's Wristwatches, P...

New York, Sep 24, 2003

LOT 181

Girard-Perregaux, La-Chaux-de-Fonds, "Tourbillon sous trois Ponts d'Or, No.1" Production of this reference started in 1999.Extremely fine, rare and important, 18K yellow gold gentleman's wristwatch with one-minute tourbillon regulator under three 18K pink gold bridges and an 18K yellow gold Girard-Perregaux buckle.

USD 28,000 - 33,000

EUR 25,000 - 30,000

Sold: USD 29,900

C. three-body, solid, polished and brushed, straight and curved lugs, case back engraved "Tourbillon No. 1", domed sapphire crystal. D. transparent. "Feuille" blued steel hands. M. Cal. 9700, "guilloché" silver, rhodium-plated, "fausses côtes" and " ?il-de-perdrix" decoration, on the dial side three polished18K pink gold bridges over the "guilloché" silver ornamented barrel at 12 o'clock, over the gold center wheel and at 6 o'clock over the visible one-minute tourbillon regulator with its A-shaed carriage and the seconds hand, engraved "No. 1", 20 jewels, tourbillon carriage of the type designed by Ernest Guinand with lateral lever escapement, monome-tallic balance adjusted to 6 positions, shock-absorber, self-compensating Breguetbalance-spring.Dial, case and movement signed.Diam.36 mm.


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Grading System
Grade: AAA

Excellent
Case: 2

Very good
Movement: 1

As new
Dial: 1-01

As new

HANDS Original

Notes

What is a Tourbillon?A Tourbillon is a regulating mechanism in which the escapement of a movement is housed within a revolving carriage. It was developed in an effort to attain better precision. When a watch is in a vertical position, the force of gravity will speed the balance wheel as it moves in its downward (arc) direction and slow it as it moves upward, creating deviational errors of timekeeping. By placing the balance and escapement in a carriage that revolves 360° per minute, these errors become averaged andhe timekeeping becomes constant and consequently adjustable. Created by Abraham Louis Breguet in 1795, the tourbillon is considered a difficult and complex achievement by any watch manufacturer.