Important Collector's Watches, Pocket...
Geneva, Nov 11, 2007
LOT 250
Deck Chronometer Patek, Philippe & Cie, Genève, ?Deck Chronometer? No. 132659, case No. 239486. Made in 1905 for the German market, sold on September 15th, 1911. Very fine, early, silver, deck and pocket lever chronometer destined for observatory trial, with 36-hour power-reserve indicator and Guillaume balance. Accompanied by the Extract from the Archives.
CHF 17,000 - 22,000
EUR 10,000 - 13,000 / USD 14,000 - 18,000
Sold: CHF 18,880
C. Four-body, bassine, polished. Hinged silver cuvette. D. Heavy, solid silver, bold champlevé radial Roman numerals, outer champlevé minute track, champlevé power-reserve sector below 12, champlevé subsidiary seconds. Blued steel spade hands. M. 21??, numbered twice,18 jewels, counterpoised straight-line lever escapement, anibal-brass Guillaume balance with ?winged? arms, gold and platinum temperature adjustment screws, blued steel Breguet balance spring with inner and outer terminal curves, diamond endstone, swan-neck micrometric regulator, Patek, Philippe keyless winding (Swiss patent 2680, 27 September 1890.) Dial, case and movement signed. Diam. 60 mm. From ?The Collection?
| Grading System | |
|---|---|
Grade: AAA |
Excellent |
Case: 3 |
Good |
Movement: 3* |
Good Overhaul recommended, at buyer's expense |
Dial: 3-7-01 |
Good Oxidized HANDS Original |
Notes
an alloy invented by Dr. Charles Edouard Guillaume, exhibits unusual properties, both in terms of thermal expansion and in changes in elasticity.
These properties are very different from those of two other famous alloys invented by Guillaume, Invar and Elinvar. Around 1900 Guillaume attempted to eliminate the so-called Middle Temperature Error caused by the fact that the change of rate in a timekeeper with a steel-brass bimetallic balance is approximately a linear function of temperature, while the change of rate caused by change in elasticity of a balance spring is approximately a quadratic function. Thus, it equals zero at only two temperatures, causing secondary error. Countless attempts were made to eliminate Middle Temperature Error, usually by means of auxiliary compensation devices. In 1899, Guillaume noticed that steel with an addition of 44.4% nickel had a negative square coefficient of thermal expansion. This alloy, combined with brass in bimetallic lamina, makes its expansion close to quadratic. Balances with bimetallic rims made of anibal and brass are usually called Guillaume balances, or, as their inventor called them, integral balances. When combined with special balance springs, they exhibit remarkable temperature stability, on occasion not exceeding 1/50 second per day at 1oC.
A very fine example of a Patek Philippe deck watch from a small series, all destined for Observatory trials. Almost all were cased in silver; one example is known in gold.
This watch is also interesting as an example of the early use of the Guillaume balance, it also has the early form of mechanism for the power-reserve indication using a rack and sprung pivoted pinion mounted on the back plate of the movement