Important Collectors Wristwatches, P...
Hong Kong,the Ritz Carlton Hotel,harbour Room, 3rd Floor, Jun 02, 2007
LOT 224
?Karrusel ? ?Class A? Kew Certificate, Especially Good 80.9 Marks? From the Late James McCabe, Thomas Gammage & Son, 60, Queen Victoria Street, London, No. 06742. The case with London hallmarks for 1900-1901. Very fine, 18K gold, keyless pocket watch with free-sprung Bonniksen patented Karrusel regulator, obtained ?Class A? Certificate, Kew Observatory ?Especially Good?, with a score of 80.9 Marks.
HKD 50,000 - 70,000
USD 6,500 - 9,000 / EUR 5,000 - 7,000
Sold: HKD 59,000
C. Four-body, ?pommes et filets?, Master mark W.H, solid, polished. Hinged gold cuvette. D. White enamel, by Willis, radial Roman numerals, outer minute track, subsidiary seconds. Blued steel ?spade? hands. M. 44 mm., 19 1/2???, frosted gilt, threequarter plate, 17 jewels, going barrel, lateral lever escapement, free-sprung cut bimetallic compensation balance with gold screws, blued steel Breguet balance spring with terminal curve, diamond endstone, all mounted on a Bonniksen 52 1/2 minute Karrusel regulator. Dial inscribed with the rating details, movement signed by the retailer and punched with Bonniksen?s mark on the pillar plate. Diam. 53 mm.
| Grading System | |
|---|---|
Grade: AA |
Very good |
Case: 3-9 |
Good Scratched |
Movement: 3** |
Good Repair required, at buyer's expense |
Dial: 2-01 |
Very good HANDS Original |
Notes
Kew Observatory trials for watches Various testing laboratories around the world were responsible for grading and testing watches. The most stringent being the Kew (Teddington) Observatory, just west of London. A standard Swiss chronometer test would last 15 days, however, the Kew test lasted 44 days. The tests consisted of observing the time keeping of the watch in various positions and at various temperatures and awarding points for accuracy in these differing states. 85.3 marks is not a recordbreaking figure but is regarded as especially good (scores of over 90 were regularly obtained by 1900) and still does the makers great credit. The eight testing positions were as follows: Pendant up - 67° Dial up - 42° Pendant right - 67° Dial up - 67° Pendant left - 67° Dial up - 92° Pendant up - 67° Dial down - 67°