Exceptional Horological Sale Celebrat...

Hotel Noga Hilton, Geneva, Apr 24, 2004

LOT 157

The Polar Bear Vacheron Constantin, Genève, Mystery Satellite One-Minute Tourbillon Clock, No. 1. Produced and sold in 1989. An exceptional and highly important gold, gilt silver, lapis lazuli, rock crystal, kakholong, set with diamonds, emeralds and rubies, eight-day going clock with double-axis mystery satellite tourbillon, one-minute carriage rotation and twenty-minute carriage revolution. Accompanied by original leather fitted carrying case and the Certificate of Origin.

CHF 250,000 - 350,000

EUR 160,000 - 350,000 / USD 190,000 - 270,000

C. white polar bear made of kakholong, lying on his back on a circular lapis lazuli base set with a circle of diamonds at the top and gold frame at the bottom, supports on his feet the mystery clock which consists of a circular lapis lazuli frame set with diamond and emerald quarter-hour markers and two rock crystal plates carrying the tourbillon carriage and the diamond- and ruby-set "dauphine" hands inside.M. By Philippe Trutner, brass 4 barrel located in the base, the power transmitted to a glass plate with teeth on its periphery, set between the concave rock crystal plates, two-motion one-minute steel tourbillon carriage fixed to a frame within the glass plate, the carriage revolving on the second axis in fifteen minutes, with straight line lever escapement, monometallic balance with self-compensating flat balance spring, revolving additionally around a wheel fixed in the center of the lenses. The clock is set with 483 diamonds of different cuts, totaling 24.35 carats, 28 rubies totaling 3.89 carats and 33 emeralds totaling 11.5 carats.Signed on the case.Dim. height 31 cm, base width 16 cm.


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Grading System
Grade:
Case: 1

As new
Movement: 1

As new
Dial: 01

HANDS Original

Notes

In the class of tourbillons there are only two types of mystery tourbillons: this type, invented by the Brun firm in Paris, and a second type, invented and patented by Mr. Kiu Tai Yu of Hong Kong (see lot 216). The present clock combines Robert-Houdin?s idea of a hidden revolving glass plate and the ingeniously simple idea of fixing the tourbillon carriage into that plate, giving the illusion that the carriage runs mysteriously, without any driving force or any suspension, as if it were floating in the air. Only three examples of this clock were made; the first is the present clock. The two others, with black bears, were made for Asprey, London.