Only five watches by Patek Philippe are known with a double chronograph, including the present watch. This watch is smaller and thinner than the other known examples and has a rejoin function which was a hitherto unknown operation in a double chronograph. The dial of the present watch was probably changed by Patek Philippe relatively soon after it was made, but the company today has no record of this work being carried out. However, the exacting manner in which the dial is made leaves no doubt that the work was carried out by Patek Philippe. It is likely that the dial was ordered from the manufacturer via a U.S. agent and fitted by their workshops. This would explain why the present dial is not mentioned in the Patek Philippe, Geneva archive. We are aware of other similar instances of other dial exchanges not being recorded. Originally it was fitted with an enamel dial and it is possible that because the calendar aperture is so large it caused the enamel dial to crack, therefore a silvered dial would have been a preferable option. The Double Chronograph Patent The double chronograph is made to allow two simultaneous timings of the duration of an event as well as individual sections, thereby acting as two individual chronographs. The two chronographs are operated by separate buttons with the button on the crown activating the return to zero of both chronographs and the 30-minute recorder simultaneously. The two stacked chronograph mechanisms are independently driven by the fourth wheel in tandem. The present watch has the addition of a spilt-second rejoin function allowing it to operate as a traditional splitsecond chronograph or as a double chronograph. This patent for the double chronograph was issued to Patek Philippe & Co. as No. 27052 on November 13th, 1902. The American Perpetual Calendar The linear digital calendar or so-called ?American calendar? is a calendar in which the date is displayed in a single aperture allowing for a clear dial which could be read at a glance. This type of display was invented in the early Art Deco period and is most often found in watches destined for the Anglo-American market. This kind of calendar became popular once again after the second World War. The present watch is unusual in that the calendar aperture is at 6 0?clock as opposed to the more usual at 12 0?clock. The Hour Hand The specially made hour hand with a large oval aperture is made so that it causes the least visual disturbance during its two-hour passage over the calendar aperture. Carillon Repetition Patek Philippe only used this type of repetition in its highest quality pieces. Most were made on special request for wealthy patrons. The difficulty in producing carrillon watches is maintaining the accuracy of the timekeeping throughout the duration of the striking. This watch with its unique combination of complications is an extraordinary example of the savoir-faire demonstrated by Patek Philippe in the field of haute horology. The use of these particular complications in one watch marks out the owner as a very discerning individual with an excellent understanding of the horology of his era. It is very difficult to reduce the thickness of the movements of complicated watches which makes this watch particularly interesting and a technical achievement, the carrillon which requires additional space for the extra hammer along with the stacked double chronograph would have normally required the watch to be thicker. John Motley Morehead III Was born on November 3, 1870 to a prominent North Carolina family with a strong tradition of public service. His grandfather, John Motley Morehead I, is known as the father of modern North Carolina. Twice elected governor of North Carolina, the first John Motley Morehead was devoted to improving education in his state. He was the founder and first president of the North Carolina railroads, a trustee of the University of North Carolina, a founder of the Edgeworth women?s college, and an instigator for state institutions for the training of the blind and deaf, as well as for the care of the mentally ill. A town in North Carolina is named after him, as are numerous parks, schools, and university facilities. In keeping with his family tradition, John Motley Morehead III was not only a successful businessman, chemist, and engineer, but also an internationally known inventor, author, and scientist. He graduated from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill in 1891. He and his father discovered acetylene gas while searching for an inexpensive method for manufacturing aluminum at their mill in Spray (now Eden), North Carolina. Mr. Morehead then developed an economical process for the manufacture of calcium carbide, laying the groundwork for the development of the Union Carbide Corporation. At the time of his death in 1965, Union Carbide had more than seventy-three thousand employees throughout the world and produced over six hundred products. Mr. Morehead also invented an apparatus for analyzing gases and published a book on the subject that remained the authoritative source for years. He was mayor of Rye, New York. President Herbert Hoover appointed him envoy and minister to Sweden from 1930 to 1933. As a result of his exceptional work as ambassador, Mr. Morehead became the first foreigner to be honored with Sweden's gold medal for outstanding service. In 1915, at the age of forty-four, Mr. Morehead married Genevieve Margaret Birkhoff. A few years after Genevieve Morehead's death in 1945, he married Leila Duckworth Houghton. Neither marriage produced children. Mr. Morehead gave generously to his alma mater. In 1931, he and Rufus Lenoir Patterson, a classmate and fraternity brother, donated the Morehead-Patterson Bell Tower to the University. In 1945, Mr. Morehead created the Morehead Foundation for the purpose of erecting the Morehead Building and establishing the Morehead Award. The Morehead Building, dedicated in 1949, houses the Morehead Planetarium, the Genevieve B. Morehead Art Gallery, the Copernican Orrery, the Morehead Observatory, scientific exhibition galleries, and the Morehead Foundation offices. The Foundation has tendered more than 2,300 Morehead Awards over the course of the last half-century. To his hometown High School, since renamed John Motley Morehead Senior High School, Mr. Morehead donated the Morehead Stadium and Chimes. He made a significant gift to the local hospital, which was later renamed John Motley Morehead Memorial Hospital. John Motley Morehead's greatest loves were his native state of North Carolina and its university at Chapel Hill. The legacy of his dedication and devotion to the University continues to thrive today through the Morehead Program. John Motley Morehead III died on January 7, 1965.