Exceptional horologic works of art

Hotel Noga Hilton, Geneva, Oct 11, 2003

LOT 108

Charles Fasoldt, Rome NY, No. 61, circa 1863. Very fine and rare 18K gold, hunting-cased, keyless patented pocket chronometer with special escapement and duo-in-uno balance spring.

CHF 6,000 - 8,000

EUR 3,900 - 5,200

Sold: CHF 20,700

C. Five-body, “bassine et filets”, both covers engine-turned, gold hinged cuvette. D. White enamel, radial Roman numerals, outer minute divisions, subsidiary sunk seconds. Blued steel hands. M. 44.5 mm (19 3/4'''), gilt brass, parallel bridge caliber, Fasoldt patented unidirectional double wheel lever-chronometer escapement with locking on the large wheel and impulse from the smaller one, large pierced single roller, strong draw on both locking pallets, cut bimetallic compensation balance, blued steel duo-in-uno (a combination of helical and flat balance spring controlled by Fasoldt micrometric regulator, going train (80/10, 75/10, 80/10, 15/8) calculated for 18,000 beats/hour.Signed on the movement, which is also engraved “Patent. Feb 1, 1859“ and “Patent applied for”.Diam. 55 mm.


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Grading System
Grade: AAA

Excellent
Case: 3 - 14 - 28
Movement: 3*

Good

Overhaul recommended, at buyer's expense
Dial: 3 - 14 - 01

Notes

Two American watchmakers of the second half of the 19th century stand out among all others: Potter and Fasoldt. The latter, a very colorful individual, was born in Germany in 1818, received a death sentence for taking part in the 1848 Revolution, escaped from prison and sailed to the United States. He began making watches in Rome, New York and subsequently moved to Albany, where he established an impressive enterprise for the making of clocks, micrometric gratings, microscopes and, of course, his famous watches. He sold them for between $150 and $300 each, which was expensive at the time. They were made according to his very individual design. Almost all of them employed his patented chronometer lever escapement.The escapement in the present watch (patented on Feb 1, 1859) is remarkably reliable. It requires no oil, has very strong draw on both locking pallets, and setting is practically impossible. Fasoldt performed an interesting and picturesque experiment demonstrating the reliability of his escapement he tied his watch, along with other maker's watches, to the driving rod of the Empire Express locomotive. After having made the entire trip from Albany to New York and back, his watch registered only a few minutes' difference. The other makers' watches stopped within the first few minutes of the trip.The other unusual feature of this watch is its balance spring. Of a very rare form, called duo-in-uno, its helical part terminates in a spiral part like a combinination of flat and helical springs. It is so rare that we have not seen another one since our The Art of British Horology sale. It must have been invented before 1860, since in the February 1860 issue of the British Horological Journal, a Mr. Hammersly reported that he used a trio-in-uno hairspring, that is, with a double flat spiral part. There has been some speculation that Fasoldt might have invented it independently. The present watch is one of the earliest surviving examples of Fasoldt's work, when he was still in Rome. The regulator found on the watch, with the inscription “patent applied for”, was patented on April 5, 1864. Therefore, the watch must have been made before that date. In the patent application Fasoldt still lists his address in Rome, NY, while the following year, another patent application gives his address as being Albany, NY.