Zenith - The Geneva Watch Auction: FIVE Geneva Friday, May 12, 2017 | Phillips

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  • Manufacturer: Zenith
    Year: circa 1910
    Case No: 095'376
    Material: 18K yellow gold
    Calibre: Manual, 19"", 30 jewels
    Dimensions: 56mm. Diameter
    Signed: Case, dial and movement signed
    Accessories: Accompanied by a Zenith fitted box.

  • Catalogue Essay

    Amongst the collector community chiming watches have always constituted a grail, the horological Himalaya being the Grand Sonnerie.

    A Grande Sonnerie is a timepiece that automatically chimes the hours on every hour and hours and quarters on every quarter. The present lot is not only a Grande Sonnerie but also a carillon minute repeater meaning it chimes the quarter hours on three notes via three hammers instead of the more traditional two.

    Mainly known for its high beat automatic El Primero chronograph movement launched in 1969, Zenith has a long tradition of creating desirable complicated timepieces since its founding by George Favre-Jacot in 1865.

    The present pocket watch with its beautiful simple look and highly complicated movement will appeal to the horological enthusiast.

  • Artist Biography

    Zenith

    Swiss • 1865

    Since Zenith's beginnings, founder George Favre-Jacot sought to manufacture precision timepieces, realizing quality control was best maintained when production was housed under one roof. Zenith remains one of the few Swiss manufacturers to produce their own in-house movements to this day.

    Today, the brand is best known for the "El Primero," the firm's most successful automatic chronograph movement. In an interesting twist of fate, the company that owned Zenith during the 1970s decided to move on to quartz movements and therefore sought to destroy the parts and tools necessary to make mechanical movements. One watchmaker realized this folly and hid the tools and parts before they were destroyed. In 1984, he returned them to Zenith so they could once again make the El Primero movement.

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A fine and attractive yellow gold hunter case two-train carillon minute repeating grande sonnerie keyless clock watch

circa 1910
56mm. Diameter
Case, dial and movement signed

Estimate
CHF12,000 - 18,000 
€11,100-16,700
$11,900-17,800

Sold for CHF25,000

Contact Specialist
Alexandre Ghotbi
+41 22 317 81 89

The Geneva Watch Auction: FIVE

Geneva Auctions 13 – 14 May 2017