80,500 CHF
Patek, Philippe & Cie. , Genève, No. 47372, sold to A. Barbero & Co., Roma in 1872.Exceptionally fine and rare 18K gold hunting-cased keyless free-sprung pocket chronometer with spherical balance spring. our-body, "bassine et filets", polished, gold hinged cuvette. White enamel, radial Roman numerals, outer minute track, subsidiary sunk seconds. Blued steel "spade" hands. Notes Patek Philippe made very few watches with chronometer escapements. Most of them were based on the special 19H caliber. It appears that this watch is only the second by Patek Philippe with a spherical balance spring, the first being No. 10197 illustrated in "Patek Philippe, Geneva", by Martin Huber and Alan Banbery, Geneva 1982, photo No. 137.It is interesting to compare the present watch, in particular its unusual case and the signature with the following lot. The cases are signed in virtually the same manner, a very unusual signature for the company, of which we have seen only one other similar example. Both cases were undoubtedly made by the same casemaker, with the initials "PM".For a note on the spherical balance spring, see the following lot.
Auctioneer:
Antiquorum
Date:
2003-04-12
