Important Collectors' Wristwatches, P...

New York, Mar 10, 2010

LOT 118

Vacheron & Constantin Yellow Gold ?Cioccolatone? Vacheron & Constantin, Genève, ?Automatic,? movement No. 528421, case No. 359375, Ref. 4737. Made in the late 1950's. Very fine and very rare, large, square, center seconds, self-winding, 18K yellow gold wristwatch.

USD 15,000 - 20,000

EUR 11,000 - 15,000 / CHF 16,000 - 21,000

Sold: USD 20,400

C. Two-body, solid, polished and brushed, stepped bezel, rounded lugs, thick domed crystal. D. Two-tone silver with applied yellow gold dart, round and pyramid indexes, concentric minute/seconds track. Yellow gold baton hands. M. Cal. P1019/1, rho dium-plated, fausses cotes decoration, 21 jewels, straight-line lever escapement, beryllium balance with timing screws, adjusted to heat, cold, isochronisms and five positions, shock absorber, self-compensating Breguet balance spring, swan-neck regulator. Dial, case and movement signed. Dim. 35 x 43 mm. Thickness 13 mm.


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Grading System
Grade: AA

Very good
Case: 3

Good
Movement: 3*

Good

Overhaul recommended, at buyer's expense
Dial: 3-10-01

Good

Patinated

HANDS Original

Notes

Ref. 4737 is called ?cioccolatone? by Italian collectors due to its shape. Several variatons exist: the self-winding Ref. 4764 with calendar and moon phases; Ref. 6440 with center seconds; Ref. 6440Q, with date. These models are the most admired and sought-after wristwatches of the 1950s. Vacheron Constantin, always innovative, was clearly ahead of its time in offering a model so unusual in size and shape. Particularly pleasing was the rounded outline of the case, with its superimposed ?levels?. At the time, it was made in yellow gold, more rarely in pink gold, and only two examples in white gold. It was reintroduced as of 2003 with a guilloche dial and a platinum case and was launched under the name ?Toledo?.