78,200 HKD
H. Durand, 71 Davies St., Berkeley Square, London, hallmarked 1874-75.Extremely rare, very fine and important 18K gold keyless astronomical perpetual calendar watch with phases of the moon and chronograph. Four-body, "bassine et filets", the back engraved with a small coat-of-arms, gold hinged cuvette. Off-white enamel, radial Roman numerals, outer minute divisions, outermost chronograph scale, four subsidiary sunk dials for days of the week, date, months concentric with phases of the moon aperture and subsidiary seconds. Blued steel, "spade" hands. Notes Most complicated English watches of the late 19th and early 20th century used either Swiss ebauches or movements which were sent to Switzerland to be fitted with complications. (Dent sent movements to Montandon, Frodsham to Piguet). Entirely English-made, no doubt by Nicole Nielsen, this watch has a perpetual calendar mechanism based on a vertical movement of the main controlling lever, as opposed to the Swiss which used horizontally worked levers. A similar comparison can be made between EnglisStogden repeaters and their Swiss counterparts. An important example of British horology with complications.
Auctioneer:
Antiquorum
Date:
2002-06-08
