Patek Philippe. A very fine and very rare 18K gold half-hunter case two-train keyless lever watch with stoppable independent dead centre seconds

On lots marked with an + in the catalogue, VAT wil… Read more

The following two lots, 53 and 54, are exceedingly rare examples of Patek Philippe’s independent dead centre seconds watches. The independent dead-seconds mechanism in which the movement has two trains, one conventional, and the second with a seconds hand which can be stopped without stopping the main train, was invented by Moise Pouzait in Geneva in 1776. In the present watch a flirt mounted on the last pinion of the independent seconds train engages the escape wheel pinion allowing one-second jumps. Adrien Philippe’s independent dead-seconds mechanism differs radically from that based on Pouzait’s design. Philippe mounted the entire "independent" train over the centre bridge, allowing more room for the going train and the balance, which is larger, allowing for better timekeeping. This watch incorporates Adrien Philippe’s two patents regarding tandem winding: the first, for a "free", or "slipping" mainspring, patented on June 16, 1863 in France, and the second, for an independent seconds watch with two wheel trains and two barrels wound simultaneously by a single stem-winding mechanism, Swiss patent No. 1017 of May 23, 1889.

Patek Philippe. A very fine and very rare 18K gold half-hunter case two-train keyless lever watch with stoppable independent dead centre seconds

Signed Patek, Philippe & Cie., Genève, movement no. 124’969, case no. 269’118, manufactured in 1904

Details

Patek Philippe. A very fine and very rare 18K gold half-hunter case two-train keyless lever watch with stoppable independent dead centre seconds
Signed Patek, Philippe & Cie., Genève, movement no. 124’969, case no. 269’118, manufactured in 1904
Movement: manual, cal. 19’’’, two-train, 27 jewels, swan-neck micrometer regulator
Dial: white enamel, Roman numerals, blued steel spade hands
Case: four-body, polished with blue champlevé enamel Roman numerals around the aperture, start/stop button for the seconds and locking bolt in the band, back with engraved monogram, hinged gold cuvette engraved Roberto Kohlschitter Genova
Signed: dial signed, case, cuvette and movement signed and numbered
Dimensions: 53 mm. diam.
With: Patek Philippe Extract from the Archives confirming production of the present watch in 1904 and its subsequent sale on 31st July 1912. Furthermore the Extract confirms the 19’’’ independent second movement, half-hunter case with blue Roman numerals on the front cover and enamel dial with Roman numerals

Special Notice

On lots marked with an + in the catalogue, VAT will be charged at 8% on both the premium as well as the hammer price.

Lot Essay

One of only two known examples in a half-hunting case and preserved in extremely good condition, the present watch is one of fewer than two dozen recorded independent dead second watches by Patek Philippe, including the very first examples made by Patek and Czapek.

A similar example is illustrated in Patek Philippe Museum - Patek Philippe Watches Volume I, p. 243, p. 264.

Roberto Kohlschitter
Roberto Pietro Kohlschitter was born in Monza in 1866. He was hired by the "Ufficio Idrografico" - the Italian Hydrographic Institute - in December 1885. In 1910 Kohlschitter received a silver medal for his "services to nautical sciences". He was still working in 1923. It is not known if Roberto was in any way related to the manufacturer of chronometers and precision instruments in Milan, Giuseppe Kohlschitter.

More from Rare Watches and a Rolex Afternoon

View All