Important Modern & Vintage Timepieces

Geneva, May 12, 2013

LOT 405

FOUR HAMMER & FOUR GONG GRANDE & PETITE SONNERIE INDEPENDENT MINUTE-REPEATING THREE-TRAIN CLOCKWATCH Swiss, ?Repassée par Bourdin, Rue de la Paix 28, Paris?, case No. 6008. Made circa 1870. Extremely fine and rare, large, heavy 18K gold, three-train Grande and Petite sonnerie striking half-hunting cased clockwatch with independent slideactivated minute-repeating, a total of four gongs and four hammers, two for the striking and two for repeating.

CHF 18,000 - 28,000

HKD 150,000 - 230,000 / USD 20,000 - 30,000

Sold: CHF 22,500

C. Four-body, bassine et filets, polished, master mark ?EM?, the hinged and sprung front cover with radial royal blue champlevé enamel Roman numerals and inner minute divisions around the glazed aperture, the back cover with champlevé royal blue enamel monogram of mirrored ?LL? within foliate scrolls. Hinged gold cuvette. D. White enamel with radial Roman numerals, outer minute divisions and red Arabic five-minute numerals, subsidiary seconds at 9 with red Arabic 10-second numerals. Blued steel double spade hands. M. 43 mm., mate gilt, standing barrels for the going and striking trains, repeating barrel wound by the slide on the band, 37 jewels, lateral lever escapement with banking by two pins, cut bimetallic compensation balance with gold meantime and temperature adjustment screws, blued steel Breguet balance spring with overcoil, index regulator, striking with two hammers on two gongs and repeating with two further hammers on two further gongs. Cuvette signed Repassée par Bourdin. DIAM. 54 mm.


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Grading System
Grade: AAA

Excellent
Case: 2

Very good
Movement: 2*

Very good

Overhaul recommended, 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 timekeeping of the watch in various positions and at various temperatures and awarding points for accuracy in these differing states. 83.3 marks is regarded as especially good and 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°. This tourbillion pocket watch was entered for Kew Observatory trial in 1914 where it achieved a mark of 90.6 points out of a possible hundred points. Literature: ?Le Tourbillon?, Reinhard Meis, Editions de l?Amateur, Paris, 1990, p. 354.