Important Collectors’ Wristwatches, P...

Hong Kong,the Ritz Carlton Hotel,harbour Room, 3rd Floor, Jun 02, 2007

LOT 238

"Large Detent Chronometer" Augustin Perret, (Le Locle), retailed by French, Royal Exchange, London, No. 7367. Made for the Hispanic market, circa 1865. Very fine and very rare, large, 18K gold, hunting-cased, pocket chronometer with spring footed-detent chronometer escapement and helical balance spring.

C. Four-body, "pomme et filets", engine-turned covers with polished borders, the interiors with "checkerboard" engine-turned decoration, reeded curved band. Hinged gold cuvette with engine-turned border, hinged glazed gold-rimmed cover to view the movement. D. Silver with black painted radial Roman numerals within engraved cartouches, subsidary seconds, outer applied yellow gold foliate outer border, the center with applied yellow gold decoration. Yellow gold and rose-cut diamond-set "flower" hands. M. 46 mm., 21''', maillechort, "fausses cotes" decoration, ring-turned pillars, fusee with chain, Harrison's maintaining power, 14 jewels, four in screwed gold chatons, the escape and balance wheel lower pivots with gold endplates, Earnshaw-type spring footed-detent escapement, cut bimetallic compensation balance with meantime and temperature adjustment screws, blued steel helical balance spring with inner and outer terminal curves, index regulator, diamond endstone. Movement signed by the retailer, the reverse of the dial scratch-signed "Au. Perret". Diam. 58 mm.