6,875 CHF
Patek Philippe, Highly Unusual Stem Winding systeM, Courvoisier Patent Patek Philippe & Co. , Geneve, No. 52187. Made in 1876, sold on May 5th, 1881. Very fine and extremely rare, 18K pink gold pocket watch with highly unusual patent stem winding and hand-setting system invented by O. Courvoisier in 1873, both functions from the crown. Accompanied by the Extract from the Archives. Four-body, bassine et filets, polished, the back cover with an engraved monogram ‚"JB". Hinged gold cuvette. White enamel with radial Roman numerals, outer minute track, subsidiary seconds. Blued steel spade hands. Notes (Lot 357) The very unusual stem winding system used in this watch was invented by O. Courvoisier in 1873, English patent No. 1114. As a new invention when this watch was made, the system was evidently tried "experimentally" by Patek Philippe in a very small number of watches. The system works by the shifting of a large wheel which engages with a further wheel on the center wheel arbor for hand-setting when the crown is turned anti-clockwise, when the crown is turned clockwise the wheel disengages and winds the mainspring. Another example No. 55948, sold to Prince Ghika of Albania on March 1, 1884, is illustrated in: Patek Philippe, Geneve, Huber & Banbery, 1993, p. 122.
Auctioneer:
Antiquorum
Date:
2010-11-13
