Important Watches, Collectors’ Wristw...

Hotel Noga Hilton, Nov 14, 2004

LOT 122

Du Pont, à Genève, circa 1795. 795. Important 18K gold center seconds, self-winding perpétuelle watch with date and stop feature.

CHF 17,000 - 20,000

EUR 11,000 - 13,000 / USD 14,000 - 16,000

Sold: CHF 19,550

C. Three-body, "Empire", polished with reeded band, stop/start gold bolt at 2 o'clock. D. White enamel, eccentric upright Arabic numer-als with outer minute dot divisions, the top with subsidiary date and regulator, outermost seconds divided into fourths. Gold piercedhands. M. 47 mm, frosted gilt, ogival back plate, gilt brass crescent-shaped engraved oscillating weight pivoted at the circumferencevia a gilt rod oscillating between two steel spring bumpers, going barrel, transmission to the mainspring barrel via three wheels, cylin-der escapement, three-arm brass balance with flat balance spring.Dial and on oscillating weight signed.Diam. 56 mm.


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Grading System
Grade: AA

Very good
Case: 3 - 30
Movement: 3*

Good

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

Notes

Charles Dupont, known for his watches for the Chinese market and for his association with Louis Recordon, probably worked in Geneva va in the 1780s. In the 1790s Recordon and Dupont established a partnership in London, exporting watches to China. These are slimmer than most "Chinese" watches of the period, and were often highly decorated. An example, numbered 172, is in the Wilsdorf collection. Both Recordon and Dupont made self-winding watches, Recordon basing his mechanism on Breguet's design, Dupont on Perrelet's. The present watch is very much in the Perrelet stylEthe self-winding mecha- nism is based on two concentric ratchet wheels which wind a small pinion that in turn gears with an intermediate wheel to barrel. The 4th wheel is set in the center allowing for center seconds.