Important Modern & Vintage Timepieces

Geneva, May 13, 2012

LOT 385

PATEK PHILIPPE INDEPENDENT DEAD SECONDS Patek, Philippe & Co, Genève, No. 47014, case No. 47014. Made in 1870, sold to Mr. E. Bonneault on July 14, 1880. Very fine and very rare, 18K gold, double-train, independent dead seconds, keyless pocket watch.

CHF 15,000 - 25,000

USD 16,000 - 27,000 / EUR 12,000 - 20,000

Sold: CHF 17,500

C. Four-body, "bassine et fi lets", engine-turned back cover, reeded band, bolt at 2 o?clock on the band to prevent accidental stopping of independent seconds. Hinged gold cuvette. D. White enamel with radial Roman numerals, outer minute track. Gold paste-set hands. M. 45 mm. (20???), gilt brass, tandem winding, straight line counterpoised lever escapement, cut bimetallic compensation balance, blued steel Breguet balance spring, 27 jewels, a fl irt mounted on the last pinion of the independent dead seconds train engages escape wheel pinion allowing one-second jumps. Cuvette signed. Diam. 53 mm.


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Grading System
Grade: AAA

Excellent
Case: 2

Very good
Movement: 2*

Very good

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

Very good

HANDS Original

Notes

The independent dead seconds mechanism in which the movement has two trains, one conventional, and the second with a sweep second hand which can be stopped without stopping the main train, was invented by Moise Pouzait in Geneva in 1776. 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, allowing for better timekeeping. There are fewer than two dozen recorded independent dead second watches by Patek Philippe, including the very fi rst ones made by Patek and Czapek. This watch incorporates Adrien Philippe?s two patents regarding tandem winding: the fi rst, for a "free", or "slipping" mainspring, patented on June 16, 1863 in France, and the second, patented ten years after this watch was made, for winding two mainsprings with one crown, Swiss patent No. 1017 of May 23, 1889. A virtually identical movement, but much later (No. 174021), is illustrated in "Patek Philippe, Genève", by Martin Huber and Alan Banbery, p.195.