Lot 55
55
A RARE SILVER OPENFACE SELF-WINDING WATCH

Details
A RARE SILVER OPENFACE SELF-WINDING WATCH
THE DIAL SIGNED LOEHR PATENT, THE MOVEMENT AND CASE NUMBERED 117

The square gilt lever movement with compensation balance and flat blued hairspring, wound by a key or T-shaped weight pivoted adjacent spring barrel, silver cuvette, lever set, circular white enamel dial with roman chapters and blued steel hands, subsidiary seconds, winding indicator, within a square case, engraved with foliage and lion's mask, signed on movement and case, 1880s--48mm. wide

Lot Essay

On 10 January 1878, the Viennese engineer A. Von Loehr patented "A device utilizing the vibrations or movements of an oscillating weight in order to wind or tension the springs or raise the weights of horological mechanisms". He attempted to cover this principle in all possible configurations, but only the one employed in the present example was actually produced. The unusual square calibre was necessary to accomodate the winding mechanism and to keep the watch upright in the pocket. See The History of the Self-Winding Watch by A. Chapuis and E. Jaquet, pp. 213-217.