Thematic Auction in Geneva:The Evolut...

Hotel Noga Hilton, Geneva, Nov 16, 2002

LOT 439

Adolph Lange, Dresden, No. 8906, circa 1870.Very fine and rare 18K gold keyless A1 grade po-cket watch with special patented winding/setting system.

CHF 12,000 - 14,000

EUR 8,000 - 9,500

Sold: CHF 10,925

C. Four-body, "pommes", polished, reeded band, gold hinged cuvette, setting pin protruding through the case at the band ring at 1 o'clock. D. White enamel, radial Roman numerals, outer minute track, subsidiary sunk seconds. Blued steel "spade" hands. M. 42.5 mm. (19'''), 3/4-plate, 20 jewels, top ones in screwed flush gold settings, straight line Glashütte lever escapement, gold fork and escape wheel, banking by a pin in a pin-hole, cut bimetallic compensation balance with gold temperature and man time screws, blued steel Breguet balance spring, diamond endstone, rarely found winding and setting mechanism, in which setting is possible only when the back cover is open; then the stem is pushed in (not out as in most cases) and the watch can be set.Signed on dial and movement, case punched by the casemaker "C.W.".Diam. 54 mm.


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Grading System
Case: 3

Good
Movement: 3*

Good

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

Notes

The watch employs a very rare winding/setting system, in which, in order to set the watch the back cover has to be opened, releasing a lever which engages the setting gears. There is only one other system known like this; it is Jürgensen's bow setting, in which also one needs to open the cover to set the watch. The case of the present watch is engraved "Patented May 5th 1866". This system is the only one known which uses the same precaution as Jürgensen. It remains to see who was the first, Langor Jürgensen, to invent the security system in which the cover has to be opened to set the watch. Jürgensen patented his system on Jan 15, 1867.