Important Watches, Collector's Wristw...

The Ritz-carlton Hotel, Jun 06, 2004

LOT 419

Hilaire Bassereau (Paris), No. 365-2/1802, completed in February 1802. Fine and rare 18K gold, quarter-repeating watch with duplex escapement, the cuvette with manual date and equation table.

HKD 45,000 - 60,000

EUR 4,500 - 6,500 / USD 6,000 - 8,000

Sold: HKD 74,750

C. Three-body, ?Empire? with reeded band and polished back. Hinged gilt brass cuvette, the center engraved with a date ring and outer equation of time table. The polished steel pointer driven by click work on the reverse each time the key is inserted in the winding hole. D. White enamel by master dial maker P. Reymond, with small central hour chapter with Breguet numerals and outer Arabic minute ring on the border of the bezel. Blued steel Breguet hands. M. 47 mm (21???), gilt brass, true Lépine caliber with free-standing barrel, double wheel duplex escapement with jeweled staff for the rest wheel, brass impulse wheel and steel rest wheel, three-arm gold balance with ?parachute? suspension, flat balance spring with bimetallic compensation curb on the index, Lepine-type repeating system with LeRoy anchor governor, repeating on large rectangular gongs by depressing the pendant. Signed and dated on the cuvette.Diam. 59 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 - 23 - 01

Notes

The watch has an ingenious but simple calendar mechanism which advances by one day during the daily winding of the watch. The escapement, with ruby balance staff insert, is also unusual, employing a double wheel of two different metals. The large gongs with heavy bumper blocks are rarely seen in watches. Jean-Hilaire Bassereau (1743-1806) was an eminent maker working in the Palais Royal. He was possibly a pupil of Lepine, as a number of his watches strikingly resemble Lepine?s in their finish and details. He was also very versatile, on one hand making luxurious pieces such as carillon watches or singing bird watches, and on the other well-executed but simple watches. He proved on occasion that precision timekeeping was not foreign to him, as is proven by a chronometer with pivoted detent escapement preserved in the British Museum. Subsequently, the business moved to rue Vivienne, where it was continued by his son. It moved again to the Rue Neuve des Petits Champs. In 1810 it was taken over by Bassereau?s widow under which name it was registered until 1840 when it was sold to Henri Dautreme who ran it at the same address at Neuve des Petits Champs until 1890.