Important Watches, Wristwatches and C...

Geneva, Hotel Des Bergues, Oct 31, 1998

LOT 105

Cartier, Paris, "Savonnette rectangulaire, tiges obus" , entered in the registers on 2 March 1928. Very fine and extremely rare, rectangular, 18K yellow gold gentleman's wristwatch with concealed dial.

CHF 40,000 - 50,000

C. massive, polished, decorated with an enameled filet on the cover, ogival lugs. D. matt silver with painted Roman numerals. "Breguet" blued steel hands. M. later 9'" signed European Watch & Clock Co., rhodium plated, "fausses cotes" decoration, 18 jewels, lever escapement, monometallic balance adjusted to temperatures and 8 positions, self compensating flat balance-spring. Dial, case and movement signed. Dim. 24 x 33 mm.


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Grading System
Grade: AAA

Excellent

Case: 2

Very good

Movement: 27-4*

Custom-made

Fair

Overhaul recommended, at buyer's expense

Dial: 27-01

Custom-made

HANDS Original

Notes

This watch is front it series of 2 examples, with consecutive case and movement numbers, produced in 1928. The present watch seems to have been overhauled by Cartier in the 19(10's. Both watches were offered for sale by Antiquorum: the first, was sold in I-long Kong, oil May 30, 1989, lot 348, for HK$ 222,000 (SFr. 49'060) and is the one being offered again here; the second, was sold in St. Moritz, on February 25, 1990, lot 155, for SFr. 52'800. Wristwatches with concealed dial Shortly after 1920, wristwatches were selling better than pocket watches. Most eminent designers and makers were keen to find, for sport and everyday wristwatches, an equivalent to the popular hunting cased pocket watches which can easily be personalised with a monogram or enamelled decoration on the cover. Cartier and Verger, in France, used improvements such as the guillotine with sliding shutters, already invented for dress watches, and Leon Hatot, with the A7onlre bracelet ournante, featuring a spring loaded hinged cover, presented his own solution. Cartier, with its Savonnel(e model, also used a hinged cover, without it being spring loaded. 1-latot's solution was also adopted by most of the Swiss designers such as Wenger, Niton as well as those working for Vacheron Constantin and Patek Philippe. In this respect, one of the most successful solutions was that of the celebrated Revecco invented by Rene Chauvot (French Patent No. 712868 from March 4, 1931), first produced by Fontainemelon S.A., often retailed by Ciibelin, and then acquired by Jaeger LeCoultre. The cases of most of the watches with concealed dial, produced between 1920 and 1935, were of high quality, often with engraved decoration on the band and bezel; the cover was sometimes made in two coloured gold with geomet r ical decoration in an Art Deco pattern.