Exceptional horologic works of art

Hotel Noga Hilton, Geneva, Oct 11, 2003

LOT 221

A. Lange & Söhne, Glashütte Sa., No. 200328, circa 1939. Very fine silver, keyless deck watch with 35-hour power reserve sector and Guillaume-type balance, sold to the Kriegs-Marine (No. 5630), graded “1.Kl.”

CHF 6,000 - 8,000

EUR 3,900 - 5,200

Sold: CHF 7,475

C. Four-body, "Lucia", polished, back with military inventory marks, hinged silver cuvette. D. Silvered with Arabic numerals, outer minute track, sunk subsidiary seconds at 3 o'clock, power reserve sector at 9 o'clock. Blued steel “spade” hands. M. 48 mm. (21'''), Cal. 48, frosted gilt, three-quarter plate with separate bridge for the escape wheel, 17 jewels, straight-line club-tooth lever escapement with lateral banking extension from the entry pallet, large Guillaume-type balance modified by Lange, Breguet balance spring with Phillips outer and inner terminal curves, "swan-neck" micrometric regulator, patented balance spring stud fastener, patented power reserve indication mechanism. Signed on dial, case and movement.Diam. 60 mm.


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Grading System
Grade: AA

Very good
Case: 3

Good
Movement: 3*

Good

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

Notes

Caliber 48 was designed by Lange for the Wehrmacht and conceived to have a variation rate of less than 1 second per day. Its power reserve indicator was invented by Otto Lange and patented in Germany on Sept. 6, 1940, patent No. 732162. The Wehrmacht's demand for these watches was so great that the Lange factory sent the watches to outside watchmakers for finishing. Most of the caliber 48 watches have lateral banking utilizing a lateral extension of theepallet fork and bimetallic compensation ballances, however this watch is unusual in that it has banking in the straight line of the escape wheel–balance and a Guillaume balance.Watches that were especially well adjusted or those that went through observatory trials were marked by the Kriegs-Marine “1 Kl”, meaning “first class”. Very few of them are known. For a note on Guillaume balance, see lot 134.