Collector's Pocket Watches, Wristwatc...

Grand Havana Room, New York, Sep 20, 2001

LOT 264

Vacheron & Constantin, Genève, ?Mercator?, Ref. 43050. Produced in 1995.Very fine and rare, self-winding, water-resistant down to 30 m., 18K yellow gold gentleman?s wristwatch with champlevé ?cloisonné? enamel dial representing a portion of the Chinese Coast, the Philippines Islands and Taiwan, with double retrograde sector graduated for 12 hours and 60 minutes, 42 hours autonomy, accompanied by an 18K gold Vacheron Constantin deployant clasp, box and certificate.

C. inspired by the ?Géographique? line launched at the end of the 1940?s, solid, polished, stepped bezel, overhanging curved and fluted lugs, sapphire crystal on the back and front. D. 22K gold dial plates engraved in the shape of the geographical features as well as the two sectors, carefully filled with polychrome ?cloisonné? enamel to represent the Asian map, below, the two retrograde sectors graduated from 1 to 12 for the hours and from 0 to 60 for the minutes with painted Arabic numerals anindexes. After each course, the hands, thanks to a special system, return to zero after, respectively, one half-day and one hour. The gold ?Dauphine? geometrical hands, in the shape of a marine compass, are placed on the 12 rather than at the center of the dial. This figure is inspired by the one that Gerardus Mercator, the famous cartographer, used all his life. M. Cal. 1120, extra-flat, rhodium-plated, ?fausses côtes? decoration, 36 jewels, lever escapement, annular glucidur balance adjustedor heat, cold, isochronism and 5 positions, 19,800 vibrations per hour, hanging barrel, self-compensating flat balance-spring, 21K gold rotor bearing the engraving ?1594 - Gérard Mercator - 1994?.Dial, case and movement signed.Diam. 36 mm.