Important Watches, Collectors’ Wristw...

Hotel Noga Hilton, Nov 14, 2004

LOT 92

Patek, Philippe & Cie, Genève, No. 132654, case No. 239404, made in 1905 and sold on July 29, 1911. Extremely fine silver deck lever chronometer adjusted for the 1909 Kew Observatory Timing Contest, with 36-hour power reserve indicator and Guillaume balance. Accompanied by the Extract from the Archives.

CHF 18,000 - 22,000

EUR 12,000 - 14,000 / USD 14,000 - 18,000

Sold: CHF 25,300

C. Four-body, ?bassine?, polished, silver hinged cuvette. D. Solid silver, bold champlevé radial Roman numerals, outer minute track, up-and-down sector at 12, and subsidiary seconds. Blued-steel ?spade? hands. M. 47 mm. (21??), Cal. 18o, 20 jewels, straight line calibrated lever escapement, anibal-brass Guillaume balance with ?winged? arms, gold temperature adjustment screws and platinum mean time screws, special alloy Breguet balance spring with inner and outer terminal curves, diamond endstone, ?swan-neck? micrometric regulator.Dial, case and movement signed, movement numbered twice, as per Geneva Observatory requirements.Diam. 60 mm.


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

Excellent
Case: 3

Good
Movement: 3*

Good

Overhaul recommended, at buyer's expense
Dial: 3 - 5 - 01

Notes

For a note on watches made for Observatory Timing Contests, see lot 91. Anibal acier au nickel pour balanciers, an alloy invented by Dr. Charles Edouard Guillaume, exhibits unusual properties, both in terms of thermal expansion and in changes in elasticity. Around 1900 Guillaume attempted to eliminate the so-called Middle Temperature Error caused by the fact that the change of rate in a timekeeper with a steel-brass bimetallic balance is approximately a linear function of temperature, while the change of rate caused by change in elasticity of a balance spring is approximately a quadratic function. Thus, it equals zero at only two temperatures, causing secondary error. In 1899, Guillaume noted that steel with an addition of 44.4% nickel had a negative square coefficient of thermal expansion. Anibal, combined with brass in bimetallic laminae, makes expansion close to quadratic. Balances with bimetallic rims made of anibal and brass are usually called Guillaume balances. When combined with special balance springs, they exhibit remarkable temperature stabili y, on occasion not exceeding 1/50 second per day at 1oC.