Important Watches, Wristwatches and C...

Geneva, Hotel Des Bergues, Apr 24, 1999

LOT 531

Lepine, Place des Victoire a Paris, No. 5926/2, made in 1810. Fine and important 18K gold, minute repeating watch.

CHF 10,000 - 12,000

Sold: CHF 13,225

C. Four body, Empire, No. 3077, made by Pierre Benjamin Tavernier (Master Mark), with reeded band and engine-turned back. Hinged gold cuvette engraved with technical details. D. White enamel with Roman numerals. Gold Breguet hands. M. Gilt brass full plate with cylindrical pillars, fusee with chain and maintaining power, four jewelled bearings, ruby cylinder escapement, plain brass three-arm balance, flat balance spring, gilt brass continental cock with ruby end-stone. Dumb hour and quarter repeating, minute repeating on a large polished steel gong. Signed on the dial, cuvette and movement. Diam. 55 mm.


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Grading System
Grade: AAA

Excellent
Case: 4

Fair
Movement: 4

Fair
Dial: 4-01

Fair

HANDS Original

Notes

Minute repeating watches of this period are very rare, even more so when, in the manner of few watches produced by Breguet, it strikes hours and quarters directly on the case and repeats the minutes on a gong. According to Dominique Augarde Les Ouvriers du 7e ops, Antiquorum Editions, Geneve 1996, pp. 354-355, Pierre Claude Raguet, called Lepine, born in Dole 1753, Compagnon at Lcpinc ' s, received as Master on April 21, 1785, first married to Pauline, daughter of jean Antoine Lepine the first, he worked actively with his father-in-law an took over his business on June 30, 1784 under the name: Lepine Florloger du Roi. and moved to the Place des Victoires in 1786. He died in Villeneuve-le-Roy on May 30, 1810. Just over a month after his death his son sold the Lepinc business to jean-Paul Chapuis on Judy 9, 1810. This watch carries both on the back plate the serial number 5926, No. 2 on the cuvette, is hallmarked for Paris 1809-1818: it was therefore certainly the second watch completed shortly after Jean-Paul Chapuis took over the business.