The Private Collection of Theodor Beyer

Hotel Baur Au Lac, Zurich, Nov 16, 2003

LOT 99

Patek, Philippe & Cie., Genève, No. 47824. Manufactured in 1876, sold on November 29, 1892. Very fine and rare 18K gold, double-train, independent dead seconds keyless watch. Accompanied by the Extract from the Archives.

CHF 60,000 - 80,000

EUR 39,000 - 52,000 / USD 44,000 - 60,000

C. Four-body, "bassine et filets", polished, gold hinged cuvette, activating pushbutton at 1 o'clock in the band.D. White enamel, Roman numerals, outer minute divisions. Blued steel "spade" hands. M. 42.8 mm (19'''), gilt brass, 23 jewels, straight line "moustache" lever escapement, cut bimetallic compensation balance with gold screws, blued steel Breguet balance spring, a flirt mounted on the last pinion of the independent dead seconds train engaging escape wheel pinion allowing one-second jumps, Philippe's patented winding system.Signed on the case.Diam. 53 mm.


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Grading System
Grade: AAA

Excellent
Case: 3

Good
Movement: 3

Good
Dial: 3-01

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, resulting in better timekeeping. There are fewer than two dozen recorded independent dead seconds watches by Patek Philippe, including the very first ones made by Patek and Czapek. This watch incorporates Adrien Philippe's two patents regarding tandem winding: the first, for a "free", or "slipping" mainspring, patented on June 16, 1863 in France, and the second, 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.