Important Watches, Collectors’ Wristw...

Hotel Noga Hilton, Nov 14, 2004

LOT 252

Gustav Gerstenberger, Glashütte, SA., No. 31, circa 1915. Very fine and highly important, brass, center sec - onds, free-sprung desk chronometer with Earnshaw detent escapement.

CHF 8,000 - 10,000

EUR 5,000 - 6,500 / USD 6,500 - 8,000

Sold: CHF 8,050

C. In square sloped base, two piece drum movement housing, reededscrew bezel, back with shutter for winding and setting apertures. D. Silveredand matted, radial Roman numerals, outer minute track, outermost seconds track with five-minute/seconds Arabic markers. Blued steel"spade" hands. M. 60 mm (27'''), frosted gilt, 14 jewels, Earnshaw-type spring detent escapement, large free-sprung cut bimetallic com-pensation balance with cylindrical sliding temperature weights, four screws and two mean time nuts, blued steel balance spring withPhillips' outer and inner terminal curves.Signed on the movement under the dial.Dim: Drum diam. 107 mm, base 140 x 140 mm.


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Grading System
Grade: AAA

Excellent
Case: 3

Good
Movement: 3 - 21*
Dial: 3 - 01

Notes

A rare chronometer by an eminent German chronometer maker. Gustav Gerstenberger 1886-1983 An eminent German chronometer maker, he began his training in Breslau. In 1905 he entered the German School of Watchmaking. After finishing school he worked for J. Assmann. Between 1909 and 1912 he attended Prof. Strasser's evening lectures. In 1911 he published tables of balance spring terminal curves, later called Gerstenberger tables, which were used in most Glashütte watches. Between 1912 and 1914 he worked for IWC in Schaffhausen. In 1914 he returned to Glashütte, where he worked as a freelance timer for A. Lange, while building his own chronometers, of which the present watch is an excellent example. After Lange's chief timer, Jensen, returned to Denmark, Gerstenberger filled his position.