465,500 CHF
Louis Berthoud, No. 24-2421, ordered by the King Louis XVI, production started in 1789, sold to Monsieur Ravel on 26 Prairial (14 June 1795) for 4000 Livres. Unique and equally fine very important 18K gold, double-face quarter-repeating, à toc, free-sprung Montre Marine with independent equation of time of special design and annual calendar. Three-body, Consular-like without fixed cuvette, massive, polished with concealed hinge. Mean time: white enamel, Breguet numerals, outer minute "star" track, subsidiary seconds. Blued steel Breguet hands. Mounted to gilt brass à bate levée ring. Solar time: Silver ring with champlevé Roman numerals, outer minute track, annular calendar sub-dial at 12 o’clock. Blued steel Breguet hands. 47.7 mm. (21 1/4’’’), gilt brass full plate, cylindrical pillars, fusee and chain with maintaining power, Louis Berthoud pivoted detent escapement, three-arm cut bimetallic compensation balance with sliding wedged temperature compensation weights, free-sprung blued steel helical balance spring mounted on adjustable stud, entire escapement jeweled. Ingenious equation mechanism, independent of the going train; the annual wheel is advanced during the winding of the watch, Solar motion work driven by pignon moteur (see drawing) protruding from the mean time motion work, equation of time adjustment done via Rivaz mechanism with differential adjustment by planetary motion of the minute wheel "D" pinion set on the revolving and spring-loaded minute wheel
Auctioneer:
Antiquorum
Date:
2002-10-19
