Important Collectors’ Wristwatches, P...

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

LOT 43

?Quarter Repeater, Crown at 6 o?clock? Vacheron & Constantin, Genève, No. 369548, case No. 229707. Made in 1913, cased and sold in 1946. Very fine and extremely rare, quarter-repeating, 18K yellow gold gentleman?s wristwatch with teardrop lugs and winding crown at 6 o?clock. Accompanied by a Vacheron & Constantin Certificate of Origin.

CHF 70,000 - 90,000

EUR 45,000 - 57,000 / USD 55,000 - 72,000

Sold: CHF 76,700

C. Four-body, polished, curved bezel and band, large teardrop lugs, winding crown between the lugs at 6 o?clock, hinged back. Hinged gold cuvette. D. White enamel with Breguet numerals, outer minute track. Yellow gold ?Breguet? hands. M. 13???, rhodiumplated, 29 jewels, wolf?s tooth winding, straight-line lever escapement, cut bimetallic compensation balance, blued steel Breguet balance spring, index regulator, repeating on gongs activated by a slide on the band. Dial, case and movement signed. Diam. 36 mm. Thickness 12 mm. Property of a Spanish Collector


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Grading System
Grade:
Case: 3

Good
Movement: 3*

Good

Overhaul recommended, at buyer's expense
Dial: 3-45-01

Good

HANDS Original

Notes

It is very unusual to find a quarter-repeating wristwatch. The movement of the present watch was manufactured by Vacheron & Constantin in 1913, held in stock and subsequently cased and sold in 1946. During the 1930s and 1940s, certain Swiss watchmaking companies, such as Vacheron Constantin and Patek Philippe, sought to gain in elegance by eliminating the protuberance of the winding crown at 3. For this purpose, they used Lépine-type movements, which allowed the winding crown to be placed at 12. The fashion never caught on, however, and therefore very few of this type of watch was produced, making them extremely rare today, watches with the winding crown at 6 are especially rare. The present watch with quarter-repeating and winding crown at 6 is possibly a unique combination.