Important Collectors’ Wristwatches, P...

Geneva, Mandarin Oriental Hotel Du Rhône, Nov 12, 2006

LOT 199

?Double-Dialed, Two Time-Zones? Vacheron & Constantin, No. 370925, case No. 229545. Made in 1915. Very fine and extremely rare, elegant, double-dialed, 18K yellow gold keyless pocket watch with independently adjustable hands for each dial for use in two-time-zones.

CHF 17,000 - 22,000

EUR 11,000 - 14,000 / USD 14,000 - 18,000

Sold: CHF 25,960

C. Four-body, ?bassine?, polished, glazed gold-rimmed cover over the second dial. D. First: white enamel, Breguet numerals, outer minute track, subsidiary seconds. Yellow gold ?Breguet? hands. Second: Matte silver, radial Roman numerals, outer minute track, engine-turned center, small aperture to access the regulator. Yellow gold ?spade? hands. M. 18???, rhodium-plated, ?fausses-cotes? decoration, 19 jewels, wolf?s tooth winding, straight-line lever escapement, cut bimetallic compensation balance with peripheral gold temperature and meantime adjustment screws, blued steel Breguet balance spring, screw micrometer regulator, three five-spoke wheels on the movement to drive the second pair of hands. Dial, case and movement signed. Diam. 49.5 mm.


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Grading System
Grade:
Case: 2

Very good
Movement: 2

Very good
Dial: 2-01

Very good

HANDS Original

Notes

Double-face watches by Vacheron & Constantin are extremely rare, another with a calendar dial but not a second time dial was sold by Antiquorum, ?The Quarter Millennium of Vacheron Constantin?, April 3, 2005, lot 174. Watches allowing for the simultaneous keeping of time in more than one time-zone and ?world-time? watches are rare before the 1950?s and mass international travel. Of course, prestigious watchmaking houses such as Patek Philippe and Vacheron & Constantin made these watches for their best clientele who were by their nature, frequent travellers.