Important Collectors Wristwatches, P...
Geneva, Hotel Du Rhone, Apr 02, 2006
LOT 465
?Neo Classical Garden? Vacheron & Constantin, Genève, No. 386583, case No. 9359 by Verger Frères, Paris. Delivered on December 9, 1925, retailed by Lacloche Frères, Paris. Extremely fine and magnificent 18K gold and enamel, diamond-set, onyz, amber and emerald Art Deco 8 day going clock with mother of pearl dial. In fitted box, with colored photocopy of the original Verger drawings. Accompanied by the Extract from the Archives.
CHF 100,000 - 200,000
108 65,000 - 130,000
Sold: CHF 135,250
C. In the form of a monstrance, the base of onyx, the octagonal black enameled gold frame supported by an amber stand with two rows of emerald beads. D. Gold mounted, combination of several shades of mother of pearl with an engraved gold sphinx in the foreground and columns in the background. gold ?serpent? hands. M. ?Astral?, 19???, nickel-plated, 17 jewels, straight line lever escapement, cut bimetallic balance, 8 adjustments, Breguet balance spring. Signed on the movement and on a small gold panel inlaid in the onyx base. Dim. 125 x 84 x 50 mm. To be sold without reserve
| Grading System | |
|---|---|
Grade: |
|
Case: 2 |
Very good |
Movement: 2 |
Very good |
Dial: 2-01 |
Very good HANDS Original |
Notes
Verger
Ferdinand Verger (1851-1928), the founder of the firm, was a jeweler and watchmaker who became President of the ?Chambre Syndicale des Bijoutiers?. In 1879 he became the French agent for Vacheron & Constantin. In 1896 Ferdinand registered the trademark ?FV?. His two sons, George and Henri, were trained by their father. In 1911 the firm moved to 51 Rue Sainte Anne under the name of Verger Frères, with the trademark ?VF?. In 1901 Ferdinand Verger bought out Lépine; the remaining stock was sold to Louis Leroy in 1914. In a letter dated December 31, 1920, Ferdinand left the business to his sons. It was during the time the Verger brothers ran the firm that the company reached its peak. Verger was involved in all the aspects of jewelry and watch making. Their creations count among the most original designs of the Art Deco period, and their specialty was the jeweled timepiece. Verger did not subcontract, but employed in-house lapidaries, stone-setters, gold, plat-inum, and silver-smiths, enamelers, watchmakers and case-makers, designers and renderers, all of whom were fully employed by the firm. The style of Verger, while extremely rich and varied, is characterized by a great attention to detail. Extraordinary workmanship, the use of the finest gems, and the originality of theme are their calling card. The business relationship between Verger and Vacheron Constantin later developed into a partnership. While they are often associated with Vacheron Constantin, Verger also produced some pieces for other fine firms, working for Cartier, Lacloche Frères, Marzo, Boucheron, Hermes, Van Cleef and Arpels, Ostertag, Jaeger, Chaumet, Janesich, Fouquet, Mauboussin, Marzchak, and American firms such as Charlton & Co., Trabert and Hoeffer, Udall and Ballon, J.E. Caldwell, Black, Star & Frost, Spaulding & Co., and Tiffany. Clients elsewhere included Hauser-Zivy y Cia in Mexico, Bulgari of Rome, Gübelin of Switzerland, and firms in England, Denmark, and many European cities. The creativity of Verger Frères is further substantiated by the number of patents for which they are responsible. Pieces made by Verger are not always marked. When they are, however, the mark is on the inside of the case, while the retailer's mark is usually found on the object's surface. The finest of the ARt DEco pieces are stamped with a lozenge bearing the initials "VF". Early pieces bear the early trademark "FV" for Ferdinand Verger (after 1872; "VF" in a lozenge, for Verger Frères, from 1911-1935; Georges Verger et fils, from 1935-1945; and Verger et Co. from 1945-1979.