Important Modern & Vintage Timepieces

Geneva, May 13, 2012

LOT 384

PATEK, PHILIPPE & CIE. 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.

CHF 15,000 - 20,000

USD 16,000 - 22,000 / EUR 12,000 - 17,000

Sold: CHF 23,750

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 fi ve-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.


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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 fi rst minute repeater wristwatch was produced by Omega, a model with a round-shaped case.