$222,500
S. Smith & Son, Makers to the Admiralty and the Indian Government, Trafalgar Square, London, No. 304-1, hallmarked 1882-83. Exceptional and highly important, massive, oversized, astronomical, minute-repeating, 18K gold Grande et Petite Sonnerie clockwatch with retrograde perpetual calendar, fly-back date hand, moon phases and triple-overcoiled balance spring. By master casemaker Harrison Mill Frodsham, four-body,“pommes”, solid, polished, five-bar hinges, gold hinged cuvette, olive setting flange, lever for switching from Grande to Petite Sonnerie at 2, similar one for striking/silence on the opposite side at 8. Probably by master dial maker Willis, off-white with bold radial Roman numerals, outer minute divisions, date sector below 12, subsidiary days of the week at 9, months at 3, sunk subsidiary seconds dial concentric with the moon phases.Blued steel “spade” hands. Cal. 58 mm (26’’’), frosted gilt, 3/4-plate, lateral counterpoised lever escapement with steel escape wheel, divided lift, cut-bimetallic compensation balance, free-sprung triple-overcoiled Breguet balance spring with inner and outer terminal curves, diamond endstone, special mechanism disengaging striking when setting the watch, repeating on gongs through a trip bolt recessed in the band.Dial and movement signed, case hallmarked with London guarantee marks, date letter and casemaker’s marks.Diam. 73 mm, thickness 25 mm. Notes At the end of the 19th and in the beginning of the 20th century - a period of g
Auctioneer:
Antiquorum
Date:
2004-05-26
