Important Modern & Vintage Timepieces...
Hong Kong, Dec 05, 2021
LOT 169
THOMAS ENGEL FOR ZENITH
Pocket watch, chronometer, regulator-type dial, day, moon phases; “Chronomètre”; 18K pink gold
Pocket watch, chronometer, regulator-type dial, day, moon phases; “Chronomètre”; 18K pink gold
HKD 77,000 - 154,000
EUR 8,600 - 17,200 / CHF 9,100 - 18,100 / USD 9,900 - 19,700
Sold: HKD 175,000
18K pink gold, open-face, keyless-winding, round-shaped, pocket watch, screwed case-back, glazed cuvette (dome), ball-type swivelling pendant acting also as a winding device, regulator-type dial with hours at 9:30, subsidiary seconds at 6 and two horological complications:
· Half-instantaneous day of the week (subsidiary dial at 2:30; indications given in French)
· Phases of the moon (aperture at 6 o’clock)
Case-back guilloché (engine-turned), sunburst décor.
Silver guilloché (engine-turned) dial, with radial roman numerals; blued steel “Breguet” hands.
Movement 19’’’, rhodium-plated, going barrel, straight-line lever escapement, monometallic screw-balance, self-compensating flat hairspring with terminal curve, polished steel index-regulator with swan-neck spring and micrometric screw, adjusted in 5 positions.
| Grading System | |
|---|---|
Grade: AAA |
Excellent |
Case: 1 |
As new |
Movement: 1* |
As new Overhaul recommended, at buyer's expense |
Dial: 1-01 |
As new HANDS Original |
Brand Thomas Engel, Haldenhof Aesch / Luzern
Model “Chronomètre” made for Zenith, Le Locle
Year Circa 1983-1984
Movement No. No. 23 (ebauche No. 5 537 264)
Case No. No. 23 (by E. & C. Nardin, La Chaux-de-Fonds)
Diameter 50.4 mm
Caliber 19’’’ (based on Zenith 68, 41.3 mm.), straight-line lever escapement, adjusted in 5 positions
Weight 129.9 gr. (approx.)
Signature Case, Dial and Movement
Accessories Original fitted box, certificate of origin (dated May 8, 1984); Bulletin de marche (Watch rate certificate) from C.O.S.C., La Chaux-de-Fonds and Le Locle, No. 22 586 (dated October 3, 1983)
Notes
Engel, Thomas (1927-2015)
Professor Thomas Engel is known worldwide for his research in the production of polymers.
In 1966, he developed a process for cross-linking plastic extrusions, particularly those of cross-linked polyethylene. Based on the reaction of plastics at pressures of 15 000 to 150 000 psi and temperatures of approximately 300° and the presence of a peroxide catalyst, a cross-linking agent, this process was a significant step forward in plastics technology. It resulted in the production of a high molecular weight product with improved heat and chemical resistance, which is still in use nearly thirty years later.
Professor-Doctor Engel has received numerous prizes and honours
When not inventing, Thomas Engel pursues his great love of horology, with particular emphasis on the life and work of Abraham-Louis Breguet. Not just a collector, he has applied his knowledge and technical skill to the art of watch-making. Over the years, Engel has produced a few watches in the style of, and often with the methods of Breguet.