40,000 CHF
CARTIER FOR BARON HENRI DE ROTHSCHILD – IMPORTANT LARGE SQUARE MINUTE REPEATER WITH ENAMEL DIAL Cartier, Paris, ‘Carré aux Angles Arrondis’, case No. 6912. Made circa 1925. Very fine and important, large and heavy, square, minuterepeating, keyless pocket watch with enamel dial and unusual repeat slide. Accompanied by a period Cartier box. C. Two-body, square with rounded corners, polished, secured by two screws in the band, rounded bezel, triangular bow, the back cover with blue enamel monogram for Henri de Rothschild. D. White enamel with radial Roman numerals, inner minute track. Blued steel spade hands M. 18’’’, rhodium plated, fausses cotes decoration, 31 jewels, straight-line lever escapement, cut bimetallic compensation balance, blued steel flat balance spring, index regulator, repeating on gongs activated by an unusual pullout lever in the band. Dial signed, case numbered and punched EJ in a lozenge for Edmond Jaeger. DIM. 45 x 45 mm. Notes Large, impressive and heavy, the present watch is also fitted with a hard enamel white dial instead of the more usual painted dial. The lever used to activate the repeating mechanism is also highly unusual amongst Cartier’s repeating watches and is reminiscent of the lever the company used for the release mechanism of the ‘Autel’ triptych clocks. These two special features combined with the large size and noble provenance raise this watch into the pantheon of Cartier’s exceptional timepieces of the early 20th century.
Auctioneer:
Antiquorum
Date:
2013-05-12
