Important Collector's Wristwatches, P...

Geneva, Dec 02, 2003

LOT 58

Vacheron & Constantin, Genève, "Gerard Mercator 1594 - 1994", No. 9/26, movement No. 708965, case No. 706321, Ref. 43050. Produced in a limited edition of 26 examples in 1994 to commemorate the 400th anniversary of the death of Gerard Mercator, the father of modern cartography. & Constantin, Genève, "Gerard Mercator 1594 - 1994", No. 9/26, movement Very fine and extremely rare, self-winding, water-resistant, 18K pink gold gentleman?s wristwatch with multi-colored "cloi- sonné" enamel dial repreenting the Asian Pacific Rim with double retrograde sectors graduated for 12 hours and 60 minutes, with an 18K pink gold Vacheron Constantin deployant clasp.

USD 20,000 - 25,000

EUR 17,000 - 22,000

Sold: USD 22,425

C. two-body, solid, polished, stepped bezel, overhanging curved and fluted lugs, sapphire crystals. D. 22K gold dial plates with gold partitions in the shape of the geographical features as well as the two sectors, carefully filled with poly- chrome "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 and indexes. Pink gold "Dauphine" hands in the shape of a marine comass. M. Cal. K 1120, extra-thin, rhodium-plated, "fausses côtes" decoration, 36 jewels, straight line lever escapement, monometallic balance adjusted to heat, cold, isochronism and 5 positions, self-compensating free-sprung flat balance-spring, 21K gold rotor segment bearing the engraving "1594 - Gerard Mercator - 1994". Dial, case and movement signed. Diam. 36 mm. 


LOADING IMAGES
Click to full view
Image
Grading System
Grade:
Case: 1

As new
Movement: 1

As new
Dial: 1 - 01

Notes

The case of the "Gerard Mercator timepieces? was inspired by the "Géographique" line launched at the end of the 1940?s. The different dials of the "Mercator" watches represent the American Continent, and/or Europe, Africa, Australia and Asia and were inspired by a map drawn in 1587 by Gerardus Mercator, the famous cartographer and humanist. The dial of this lot is one of the rarest and most exclusive among the different versions. Produced by Belgian enamellers Lucie and Jean Genbrugge (who alsoollaborated in the design of the mechanism to control the hour and minute hands), it was carefully laid out by hand with extremely fine gold thread and then enameled in many layers .This is a tedious and time consuming process, which requires extremely skilled hands.