354,000 HKD
“Westminster Chime Carillon Minute Repeater” Paul Ditisheim, a La Chaux de Fonds, No. 47380, movement by Constant Piguet, Le Sentier, Swiss patent No. 11948. The case with London import marks for 1912 - 1913. Very fine and very rare, large, 18K gold, hunting-cased, keyless, minute-repeating pocket watch with Westminster chimes carillon. Four-body, "bassine" polished. Hinged gold cuvette engraved with exhibition prize details. Three-piece, white enamel with Breguet numerals, outer minute track, subsidiary seconds. Blued steel "Breguet" hands. Notes The present lot is in extremely good condition and has a particularly high quality finish. The movement is unusual in that it is rhodium-plated and not frosted gilt. Carillon minute repeating watches are very rare; only a few are known with four hammers or Westminster chimes. On March 20, 1896, Constant Piguet patented this system of minute-repeat with carillon, under the No. 11948 .The makers that specialized in this type of watch were Constant Piguet, Eduard JeanRichard, and Victorin Piguet. The known tunes played by four hammer carillons are: Westminster chimes, the Swiss National anthem, and God Save the King. A watch playing God Save the King was sold by Antiquorum, Geneva, on November 11, 2006, lot 53. Similar watches were sold by Antiquorum, Exceptional Horological Works of Art, Geneva, October 19, 2002, lot 8; and Important Collectors’ Wristwatches, Pocket Watches and Clocks, Hong Kong, July 10, 2005, lot 83; Impor
Auctioneer:
Antiquorum
Date:
2003-11-25
