22,800 CHF
Two Time Zone & Independent Dead Center-Seconds Louis Audemars, Brassus (Swiss), No. 12041. Made circa 1875. Very fine and extremely rare, 18K yellow gold, two-train, two time zone keyless pocketwatchwith independent dead center-seconds and cuvette with engraved list of cities denoting their time difference from Paris. Four body, "bassine et filets", the back engraved with a foliate monogram, bolt between 4 and 5 to lock the center seconds, nibs for setting the hands for each time zone at each side of the pendant. Hinged gold cuvette engraved with “Difference d’Heure sur le Meridien de Paris” listing the names of twenty cities and their respective time differences to Paris. White enamel with two meantime dials with radial Roman numerals and outer minute track, subsidiary constant seconds, outer seconds track with Arabic five-second numerals. Gold spade hands. Notes The present watch is extremely unusual because it not only featured a provision for two independently adjustable time zones before the adoption of hourly time zones, but it also lists the time differences between Paris and 20 other cities. Before the adoption of time zones, people used local solar time (originally apparent solar time, as shown by a sundial) and, later, mean time. Mean time is the average over a year of apparent solar time; its difference from apparent solar time is the equation of time. As railways and telecommunications flourished, the fact that time in various places differed according to
Auctioneer:
Antiquorum
Date:
2008-11-16
