Important Collector's, Watches, Wrist...

Geneva, Hotel Des Bergues, Oct 15, 2000

LOT 305

Patek Philippe & Cie, Genève, No. 48231, case No. 48231, circa 1878, made for Cuban market.Very fine and rare 18K gold, two-train watch with independent dead seconds and unusual dial, accompanied by a fitted box.

CHF 22,000 - 28,000

USD 12,500 - 15,500

Sold: CHF 24,725

C. Four-body, 'bassine et filets', engine-turned with reeded band, gold hinged cuvette. D. Silver, black Roman numerals (now faded), outer applied gold floral decoration, center with finely engraved floral decoration, snap-on fit. M. 19???, nickel, 'fausses côtes' decoration, straight-line, 27 jewels, calibrated lever escapement, cut bimetallic compensation balance with gold mean and temperature screws, blued-steel Breguet balance spring, jeweled to the center with endstones on the entire escapeent, independent dead seconds by means of two-flirt wheel acting on a small pinion mounted on the escape wheel arbor, activated by a button at the band with a locking bolt. Signed on the case. Diam. 51 mm.


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Grading System
Grade: AAA

Excellent
Case: 3

Good
Movement: 3 - 5*
Dial: 25 - 01

Notes

The watch incorporates Adrien Philippe?s two patents regarding tandem winding. The first one for 'free', or 'slipping' mainspring, patented on June 16, 1863 in France, and the second, patented ten years after this watch was made, for winding two mainsprings with one crown, Swiss patent No. 1017 of May 23, 1889. This is not the only idea that Philippe waited for years to patent - his final keyless winding system was patented also years after it was invented and employed in Patek Philippe watches.The other unusual feature of this watch is its dial. Patek Philippe used multicolor elaborate dials extremely rarely.A virtually identical movement, but dating from much later (No. 174021), is illustrated in Patek Philippe, Genève, by MARTIN HUBER and ALAN BANBERY edited by Patek Philippe S.A., Geneva, 1993, p.195.