Important Collectors’ Wristwatches, P...

Geneva, Mandarin Oriental Hotel Du Rhône, May 13, 2007

LOT 652

?Independent Dead Center Seconds? Patek, Philippe & Cie., Genève, No. 124969, case No. 269118. Made in 1904, sold on July 31, 1912. Very fine and very rare, 18K gold, half-hunting-cased, two-train, keyless pocket watch with independent dead center seconds. Accompanied by the Extract from the Archives.

CHF 27,000 - 32,000

EUR 17,000 - 20,000 / USD 22,000 - 26,000

Sold: CHF 44,840

C. Four-body, "bassine", polished, the front cover with Royal blue enamel radial Roman numerals and inner minute track, activating pushbutton at 4 o?clock in the band. Hinged gold cuvette with dedication. D. White enamel, radial Roman numerals, outer minute track. Blued steel "spade" hands. M. 42 mm., 19???, rhodium-plated, 27 jewels, straight line counterpoised and calibrated lever escapement, cut bimetallic compensation balance with gold screws, blued steel Breguet balance spring, a flirt mounted on the last pinion of the independent dead seconds train engaging escape wheel pinion allowing onesecond jumps, Philippe?s patented winding system. Dial, case and movement signed. Diam. 53 mm. Property of an Italian Collector


LOADING IMAGES
Click to full view
Image
Grading System
Grade:
Case: 2

Very good
Movement: 3*

Good

Overhaul recommended, at buyer's expense
Dial: 2-01

Very good

HANDS Original

Notes

In 1776, in Geneva, Moise Pouzait invented the independent dead seconds mechanism in which the movement has two trains, one conventional, and the second with a sweep-seconds hand which can be stopped without stopping the main train. Adrien Philippe?s independent dead seconds mechanism differs radically from the conventional one based on Pouzait?s design. Philippe moved the entire "independent" train over the center bridge, allowing more room for the going train and the balance, which is larger, resulting in better timekeeping. There are fewer than two dozen recorded independent dead seconds watches by Patek Philippe, including the very first ones made by Patek and Czapek. This watch incorporates Adrien Philippe?s two patents concerning tandem winding: the first, for a "free", or "slipping", mainspring, patented on June 16, 1863 in France, and the second, for winding two mainsprings with one crown, Swiss patent No. 1017 of May 23, 1889. A similar watch was sold by Antiquorum, Geneva, April 24, 2004, lot 81. A virtually identical movement (No 174021), is illustrated in "Patek Philippe, Genève", by Martin Huber and Alan Banbery, p.195.