Swiss. A fine and unusual 18K gold and enamel hunter case "cathedral" minute repeating keyless lever watch, made for the Indian Market
Swiss. A fine and unusual 18K gold and enamel hunter case "cathedral" minute repeating keyless lever watch, made for the Indian Market

UNSIGNED, DIAL SIGNED SWISS MADE, NO. 5927, CIRCA 1900

Details
Swiss. A fine and unusual 18K gold and enamel hunter case "cathedral" minute repeating keyless lever watch, made for the Indian Market
Unsigned, dial signed Swiss Made, No. 5927, circa 1900
With gilt-finished lever movement, 32 jewels, bimetallic compensation balance, cathédrale minute repeating on two polished steel hammers onto two gongs, gold cuvette with engraved inscription Minute Repeater Cathédrale, the white enamel dial with Roman numerals, blued steel spade hands, subsidiary seconds, in chased scroll and foliage decorated large circular case, a polychrome painted enamel scene depicting a horse race with two riders on translucent background to the front, a lakeside scene to the back, both surrounded by a gold and translucent scarlet enamel floral and foliage decorated border, repeating slide in the band, unsigned
59 mm. diam.

Lot Essay

The present watch is fitted with a so-called "Cathedral" repeating which thanks to its rich and full-bodied sound resembles the chime of the bells of a cathedral.

The repeating mechanism of this watch consists of a high-tone and a low-tone gong. When the repeating is activated, first the number of hours are stroke by means of one of the two hammers on the low-tone gong, followed by the quarter hours with double strikes on both the low-tone and the high-tone gong, and finally the number of minutes which have elapsed since the last quarter-hour with one hammer on the high-tone gong.

The length of the gong in a standard repeating mechanism corresponds to almost precisely one turn in the movement whereas those of the "Cathedral" mechanism exceed the case circumference by at least one and a half, even two turns. Consequently, a much richer and fuller timbre is achieved.

This mechanism is now used in highly complicated wristwatches such as Patek Philippe's Sky Moon Tourbillon.

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