88,500 CHF
“Detent Chronometer, For the English Market” Patek Philippe, Genève, No. 47683/3731, retailed by H. Pleister, 277 Regent Street, London. Made in 1874, sold on May 18th, 1880. Very fine and extremely rare, large, 18K rose gold, hunting-cased pocket chronometer with spring footeddetent escapement and gold wheel train. Accompanied by the Extract from the Archives. Four-body, “bassine”, polished. Hinged gold cuvette. White enamel with radial Roman numerals, outer minute track, subsidiary seconds. Blued steel “spade” hands. 44 mm., 20’’’, frosted gilt, 16 jewels, wolf’s tooth winding, gold wheel train, chronometer escapement with spring footed-detent, free-sprung cut bimetallic compensation balance with gold screws, blued steel helical balance spring with terminal curves. Dial, case and cuvette signed, movement numbered on the dial plate. Diam. 56 mm. From “The Collection” Notes Patek Philippe watches using the spring detent escapement are extremely rare with very few known examples. The slightly different finish of the movement shows that it was intended for the English market and this is confirmed by the name and address of the retailer. A watch with identical movement is illustrated in “Patek Philippe, Geneve”, Huber & Banbery, 1993, p. 170.
Auctioneer:
Antiquorum
Date:
2007-05-13
