11.
GÜBELIN – A unique and appealing diamond set yellow gold minute repeating pocketwatch with polychrome enamel dial
Manufacturer
Gübelin
Year
1988
Reference No.
18D
Movement No.
224’735
Case No.
224’735
Material
18K yellow gold
Calibre
Manual, cal. 13’’’, 29 jewels
Dimensions
43.5mm Diameter
Signed
Case, dial and movement signed
Estimate CHF 15,000-25,000 $15,400-25,600 €13,200-22,000 Accessories Accompanied by original ftted box and Gübelin Extract from the Archives confrming date of manufacture of the watch in 1988 as a unique piece.
Stating that the dial of this pocket watch is a visual enchantment is an understatement to say the least. Upon closer inspection one will notice for example that it uses only one hand to indicate the time during a full 24-hour revolution, while a small trigger on the right-hand side of the case reveals this piece is also a minute repeater. Bearing the name of the prestigious Swiss-based, familyowned, jewelry and watch retailer founded in 1854 and that has today become a Swiss powerhouse selling the most prestigious watch brands, the present watch was designed and built by Richard Daners, one of the most talented and respected modern watchmakers who executed unique commissions for Gübelin.
He is famous for his work in restoring and creating ultracomplicated timepieces, his specialty being the tourbillon, the most famous being one of the world’s frst triple axis tourbillons. The present watch is a unique piece as confrmed by the Extract from the Archives. Indicating time via a single hand on a 24hour basis, this feature obliges the owner to trigger the minute repeater in order to know how many minutes have elapsed. The intricate finqué enamel dial is a work of art in its own right and a vision of beauty and grace. Each hour is represented by a specifc color that gently graduates in hue to mimic the color spectrum. The tones here range from a vibrant and intense yellow, to orange and deep red that slowly morph to mauve, blue and chartreuse green and then back to yellow. Where normally a cloison -or gold wire- should be used to separate each color, the enamel artist did without them and undertook the painstaking and almost impossible task of applying each color individually with the delicate result of each color subtly morphing into the next without any overlap. A unique piece, fresh to the market, the present pocket watch presents an incredible opportunity for the savvy connoisseur to own a watch that is both visually and technically (literally) striking.
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