2,400 CHF
B. Haas Jne & Cie Double-Dialed Calendar Watch with Gravitational Cover Locking Attributed to B. Haas Jne & Cie, Genève - Paris, No. 69846. Made circa 1890. Fine and rare, 14K pink gold hunting-cased, double-dialed pocket watch with calendar and gravitational cover locking. Three-body, bassine, polished, the spring -loaded covers with special gravitational locking device. White enamel on the front with radial Roman numerals, outer minute track and five-minute Arabic numerals, subsidiary seconds. Paste-set gold hands. White annular enamel on the rear with black Arabic chapter on the border for the date and inner days of the week. 44.7 mm. (20’’’), nickel, 18 jewels, counterpoised straight line lever escapement, bimetallic compensation balance, blued steel Breguet balance spring, index regulator. Diam. 52 mm. Notes The celebrated magician Jean Eugène Robert-Houdin is known to have sold this model by Haas under his own name. The watch has a “mystery” opening feature: only one cover can be opened at a time, due to a special gravitational device that allows only the top cover to be opened. Thus, when the watch is turned, the cover that had remained closed no matter how much the pushbutton was depressed, suddenly “mysteriously” opens.
Auctioneer:
Antiquorum
Date:
2010-05-08
