Important Collector's Wristwatches, P...

New York, Sep 17, 2009

LOT 18

Extra Minute Repeater Patek, Philippe & Cie., Genève, No. 138289, made for Tiffany & Co. in 1911. Very fine 18K yellow gold, keyless minute-repeating dress watch. Accompanied by an Extract from the Archives.

USD 10,000 - 15,000

EUR 7,000 - 11,000 / CHF 11,000 - 16,000

Sold: USD 19,200

C. Four-body, ?bassine,? polished, black enameled initials on the back: GSW, gold hinged cuvette engraved: JH R, July 10-20, 1911, ?True Friendship.? D. White enamel with printed radial Arabic numerals, outer minute divisions with five-minute red Arabic markers, subsidiary sunk seconds dial. Blued steel double spade hands. M. Cal. 38 mm (17???), ?Extra,? fausses cotes decoration, 29 jewels, 8 adjustments, straight-line calibrated lever escapement, cut-bimetallic compensation balance, blued steel Breguet balance spring. Repeating on gongs by activating slide in the band. Movement and case signed, dial signed Tiffany & Co. Diam. 46 mm. Thickness 10 mm.


LOADING IMAGES
Click to full view
Image
Grading System
Grade: AA

Very good
Case: 3

Good
Movement: 3*

Good

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

Good

HANDS Original

Notes

What is a Minute Repeater? A minute repeating watch tells the time both visually and audibly. A slide on the side of the case, usually near the 9, will activate two hammers in the movement. These hammers strike two gongs curled within the case. First one hammer strikes a gong of lower tonality; it will count out the hours. Then both hammers will strike both gongs alternatively to count out the quarter hours after that hour, and then the second hammer alone striking a gong of higher tonality will count out the minutes after that quarter hour. The repeating mechanism was developed by Daniel Quare. In 1687, he had patented a mechanism that sounded the hours and the quarter hours. The early repeaters used bells. At the end of the 18th century, two bent-wire gongs became the more popular mechanism. In 1892, the first minute repeater wristwatch was produced by Omega, a model with a roundshaped case.