Important Modern & Vintage Timepieces

Geneva, May 10, 2015

LOT 181

PATEK PHILIPPE - FORMERLY PART OF THE PATEK PHILIPPE PRIVATE MUSEUM COLLECTION Patek Philippe, Genève, movement No. 197895, case No. 2843189, Ref. 963. The movement constructed between 1927 and 1929 from an ebauche started in 1924, the tourbillon made by celebrated master-watchmaker James Pellaton, the case constructed in 1989, sold on May 31st, 1990. Exceptional, magnificent and historic, large, 18K yellow gold, keyless, ultra high-precision lever Chronometer deck watch with one-minute tourbillon regulator, Guillaume balance and power-reserve indication, the holder of two first prizes in Category B achieved at the Observatoire de Genève in 1929 with a record score of 834 points regulated by François Modoux, and again in 1934, excelling in various further Observatory trials until 1939. Accompanied by a Patek Philippe box, hang-tag, additional solid gold case back, Certificate of Origin, a collection of annual and daily rating documents for the period February 1928 to 1958, Extract from the Archives, Patek Philippe Japan Service Center Guarantee, hand-written Certificate of Origin and hand-written history of the watch.

CHF 200,000 - 300,000

HKD 1,610,000 - 2,410,000 / USD 207,000 - 311,000

Sold: CHF 243,750

Three-body, bassine et filets, massive, polished, transparent back for viewing the movement, sapphire crystal. Matte silver with painted radial Roman numerals, outer minute track, subsidiary dials for the power-reserve indication and seconds. Blued steel poire hands. 19''', nickel, stamped twice with the seal of Geneva quality mark, fausses cotes and oeil-de-perdrix decoration, 20 jewels, steel one-minute tourbillon carriage by James Pellaton with three-polished equidistant arms, lateral lever escapement, Guillaume balance with temperature and meantime adjustment screws, adjusted to heat, cold, isochronisms and five positions, blued steel Balance spring with Philips terminal curve, index regulator on the carriage, the upper balance and center wheel pivots with jewels in a gold chatons held by 3 screws.


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Grading System
Grade:
Case: 1

As new
Movement: 1*

As new

Overhaul recommended, at buyer's expense
Dial: 2-01

Very good

HANDS Original

Notes

Dial, case and movement signed. DIAM. 56 mm. THICKNESS 16 mm. Magnificent & historic unique tourbillon watch - one of the world's most accurate mechanical precision watches from the early 20th Century & twice observatory first-prize winner in 1929 with a record score of 834 points and again first-prize in 1934. Together with a remarkable comprehensive collection of daily testing records between 1928 and 1952. Provenance Patek Philippe & Cie until June 26th, 1939 when sold to a private individual. Bought back in 1942 by Patek Philippe, Geneva, for its private museum collection (No. 428). By special request of the present owner in 1989, it was decided to sell the watch from the museum. The specially designed 18K gold case was then made to house the movement. Literature The present watch is illustrated and described in "Patek Philippe, Geneve", Huber & Banbery, 1994, p. 175. The History of Patek Philipe Movement No. 197.895 Patek Philipe tourbillon No. 197895 is a highly important part of the history of mechanical precision timekeeping. The movement was made by Patek Philippe between the years 1927 and 1929 using an ebauche begun in 1924. The steel tourbillon cage made by James Pellaton is fitted with a Guillaume balance to reduce timekeeping errors caused by temperature fluctuation (middle temperature error). The movement had remarkable success at Observatory trial in Geneva and was comprehensively tested for more than 25 years between 1928 and 1958. For the 1929 Geneva Observatory trial the movement was regulated by one of the most famous Patek Philippe "regleurs" or precision timers: François Modoux, who set a record of 834 points during that trial with this watch which won First-Prize. This tourbillon again competed in 1934 and once more won First-Prize in its category. The watch continued to excel in various observatory competitions up until 1939 when it was sold to a private individual. Modoux was one of the two regleurs who were responsible for the regulation of most of the watches made by Patek Philippe for the legendary and exacting watch enthusiast Henry Graves Jr. The regleurs were the highest paid workers in the watch industry because success in Observatory trials conferred reputation and prestige on the brand and therefore greater commercial success.