Only Online Auction

Geneva, Sep 22, 2021

LOT 195

Vacheron Constantin
Military pocket watch, chronograph, made for the Corps of Engineers, U.S.A.; silver

CHF 800 - 1,600

EUR 750 - 1,500 / USD 900 - 1,800 / HKD 6,900 - 13,700

TO BE SOLD WITHOUT RESERVE

Sold: CHF 1,750

Silver (0.900), open-face, keyless-winding, round-shaped, military pocket watch, made for the Corps of Engineers, U.S.A., with subsidiary seconds at 6 and one horological complication:
· 1/5 second chronograph (activated by the round push-piece located on the winding-crown)

Case-back polished.

White enamel dial with suspended Arabic numerals, with the mention “Corps of Engineers - U.S.A.”; blued steel skeleton hands.

Movement 19’’’, gilded brass, going barrel, straight-line lever escapement, cut bimetallic compensated balance with gold poising screws and blued steel hairspring with terminal curve, polished steel index-regulator with swan-neck spring and micrometric screw.


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Grading System
Grade: A

Good
Case: 3-7-9

Good

Oxidized

Scratched
Movement: 3*

Good

Overhaul recommended, at buyer's expense
Dial: 3-71-01-05

Good

ENAMEL AND VARIOUS TYPES OF DECORATION Hairlines

HANDS Original

HANDS Luminous material reapplied

Brand Vacheron Constantin, Geneva

Model made for the Corps of Engineers, U.S.A.

Year circa 1920

Movement No. 381 528

Case No. 235 275 (by Huguenin Frères, Le Locle)

Material silver

Diameter 52.1 mm.

Caliber 19’’’, straight-line lever escapement

Weight 104 gr. (approx.)

Signature dial, case and movement

Notes

Corps of Engineers, U.S.A.

In 1918, several Swiss horological manufacturers (Vacheron Constantin, IWC, Ulysse Nardin, etc.) started the production of pocket watches, with or without chronograph, intended for the “Corps of Engineers” of the United States Army. Following the U.S. entry into the war, in 1917, the Americans set up a purchasing office for equipment for their expeditionary forces, “The American Expeditionary Forces”, which ordered several thousand watches until 1920. Especially designed for engineers, they are made of stainless silver, withstand temperature differences and have luminescent numerals and hands.

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The Corps of Engineers, U.S.A., and Vacheron Constantin

For the history and the relation between the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers and Vacheron Constantin, please refer tothe Antiquorum’s auction devoted to the world’s oldest watch manufacturer – The Quarter Millennium of Vacheron Constantin, 1755-2005 (Geneva, April 3, 2005; 250 lots), Chap. IV, lot 50, pp. 82-83.

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The case-back of this watch is not engraved with the military texts usually found on objects of this kind. It is reasonable to assume that this watch was not allocated to a soldier but remained in the American Expeditionary Forces’ inventory.

CONDITIONS AND INFORMATION FOR BUYERS

The purchase price payable by a buyer will be the sum of the final bid price plus the buyer’s premium, together with any applicable sales or compensating use tax. In addition to the hammer price, the buyer’s premium is payable as follows: 25% of the hammer price on each lot.

Important notice – Special conditions Please look carefully at all the photos as they are an integral part of the description. Any defect not mentioned in the descriptions but visible on the photos will be considered as described and cannot lead to any claim. The dimensions are given as an indication and may slightly differ from the measures mentioned by the manufacturers especially for contemporary watches. The photos are not retouched. Colors may differ from reality. For timepieces, we guarantee neither the functioning nor the precision of the movement, nor the water-resistance of the case. In addition, please note that movements, parts of mechanisms or cases may be incomplete. The lots are sold “as is”, described to the best of our knowledge and cannot be returned. Once the online bid is placed by the bidder, it cannot be cancelled.