Minute-Repeating” Jules Jürgensen

“Minute-Repeating” Jules Jürgensen, Copenhagen, No. 8319, case No. 3820. Made circa 1855. Fine minute-repeating 18K yellow gold hunting-cased pocket watch. Four-body, "bassine et filets", engine-turned with reeded band, goldhingedcuvette with winding and setting apertures. White enamel, radial Romannumerals,outer minute ring, subsidiary sunk seconds. Blued steel Breguet hands. Notes A rare example of an early nickel movement and of an early minute-repeating mechanism still based on the movable star wheel. About five years later, Audemars was to invent a mechanism with fixed star making the hour-repeating change more precise and consequently enabling minute-repeating work to be more accurate. Before, makers had struggled with accurate repeating at the end and beginning of the hour. The watch also employs an early so called "instantaneous surprise piece", which guarantees corect minute-repeating at the moment of the hour change, the most difficult aspect in early minute-repeaters with moving star wheel. In this case the piece engages the mechanism only when the repeater is activated. For a biography of Jules Jürgensen, see following lot. The present watch was previously sold by Antiquorum, November 11, 2001, lot 107.