Important Collectors Watches, Pocket ...

Hong Kong, Jun 08, 2008

LOT 143

The Earliest Known Patek Philippe Watch with Alarm, One of Two Quarter-Repeating and Alarm Watches Made by Patek Philippe Patek Philippe & Co., Genève, No. 47878. Sold on April 4, 1881. Extremely fine and exceptionally rare and unusual, large, twotrain, quarter-repeating, damascened silver and yellow gold, half-hunting cased, keyless pocket watch with alarm with two hammers, the earliest known Patek Philippe watch made with alarm function and one of only two quarter-repeating watches with alarm made by Patek Philippe. Accompanied by the original Patek Philippe & Co., rosewood fitted box, original Certificate of Origin, two spare mainsprings and spare crystal, and the Extract from the Archives.

HKD 130,000 - 200,000

USD 17,000 - 26,000 / EUR 10,000 - 16,000

Sold: HKD 480,000

C. Four body, "grande bassine et filets", polished, entirely decorated with a damascened geometric repeated pattern, the front cover with glazed aperture, radial Roman numerals, inner minute divisions, yellow gold hinges, crown, repeat slide, neck-pieces and setting levers. Hinged silver cuvette. D. White enamel with radial Roman numerals, outer minute track, inner radial Arabic numerals for the alarm setting. Blued steel double-pear hour and minute hands, additional alarm hand. M. 20''', frosted gilt, two-train, differential tandem winding, 25 jewels, counterpoised straight-line lever escapement, cut bimetallic compensation balance with gold temperature and platinum meantime adjustment screws, blued steel balance spring with Phillips terminal curve, index regulator, repeating with two hammers on two gongs activated by a slide on the band, alarm sounding with two additional hammers on two further gongs. Diam. 58 mm.


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Grading System
Grade:
Case: 3

Good
Movement: 3*

Good

Overhaul recommended, at buyer's expense
Dial: 3-43-01

Good

HANDS Original

Notes

Patek Philippe watches with alarm mechanism are very rare and this function was usually only included in their most complicated watches. The alarm is a difficult complication to include in a watch because it takes up a great deal of space within the movement, requiring a separate train to provide the power and extra gongs for the sounding. The present lot appears to be the earliest example of a Patek Philippe watch with alarm mechanism and the first of only two examples made by Patek Philippe with quarter-repeating and alarm. This watch is possibly unique, with the large alarm setting numerals on the dial. Another one, No. 198014, made for James Ward Packard, has this feature but with a much smaller alarm dial. The silver damascened case is particularly unusual