$50,600
Courvoisier Frères, No. 97444. Produced for @C. Marcks & Co., Bombay & Poona, circa 1865. Exceptional, massive, hunting cased, keyless, early minute-repeating, 18K gold perpetual calendar watch with double-jumping date, skeletonized movement and visible repeating work. Six-body,“bassine et filets”, solid, engine-turned with reeded band, round pendant, gold hinged cuvette over glazed gold bezel to view the movement and the repeating work. White enamel with Roman numerals, outer minute divisions, inner radial Arabic date ring with brakes for the sunk subsidiary dial for the days of the week concentric with the months at 6, subsidiary sunk seconds dial. Gold “spade” hands. Cal. 47 mm (21’’’), frosted gilt, skeletonized half-plate, standing barrel, straiht line calibrated lever escapement, cut-bimetallic compensation balance, Breguet balance spring, unusual perpetual calendar driven from the center date wheel, early repeating system set on the back plate with the hour snail mounted on the all-or-nothing lever, repeating on gongs through activating slide on the band, Antoine LeCoultre rocking bar winding/setting mechanism (invented circa 1847). Diam. 64 mm Notes Courvoisier Frères Were very innovative and important makers of the mid 19th century. Their carriage clocks are considered to be among the best produced in Switzerland at the time. Their striking was typically Swiss, quite different than most French clocks. The present watch falls into the same category, being an unu
Auctioneer:
Antiquorum
Date:
2004-05-26
