Masterworks of Time: Abraham Louis Breguet, Horologist Extraordinaire 「時間傑作——阿伯拉罕・路易・寶璣：鐘錶鬼才」

View full screen - View 1 of Lot 92. GIRARD-PERREGAUX, CHAUX-DE-FONDS [芝柏，拉紹德封] | A RARE AND HEAVY GOLD HUNTING CASED KEYLESS ONE-MINUTE TOURBILLON WATCH WITH PIVOTED DETENT CHRONOMETER ESCAPEMENT, CIRCA 1890, THREE BRIDGE TOURBILLON [罕有黃金一分鐘陀飛輪懷錶備天文鐘擒縱系統，年份約1890，三橋陀飛輪].

GIRARD-PERREGAUX, CHAUX-DE-FONDS [芝柏，拉紹德封] | A RARE AND HEAVY GOLD HUNTING CASED KEYLESS ONE-MINUTE TOURBILLON WATCH WITH PIVOTED DETENT CHRONOMETER ESCAPEMENT, CIRCA 1890, THREE BRIDGE TOURBILLON [罕有黃金一分鐘陀飛輪懷錶備天文鐘擒縱系統，年份約1890，三橋陀飛輪]

VAT applies to hammer price and buyer's premium

Lot Closed

June 16, 03:35 PM GMT

Estimate

25,000 - 45,000 CHF

Lot Details

Description

GIRARD-PERREGAUX, CHAUX-DE-FONDS

[ 芝柏，拉紹德封]

A RARE AND HEAVY GOLD HUNTING CASED KEYLESS ONE-MINUTE TOURBILLON WATCH WITH PIVOTED DETENT CHRONOMETER ESCAPEMENT

CIRCA 1890, THREE BRIDGE TOURBILLON

[ 罕有黃金一分鐘陀飛輪懷錶備天文鐘擒縱系統，年份約1890，三橋陀飛輪]

• Movement: decoratively damascened, three pink gold bridges, pivoted detent chronometer escapement mounted upon a one-minute Guinand Type 2 tourbillon carriage, gold wheel train, bi-metallic compensation balance, the mainspring barrel engraved Girard-Perregaux, Patented March 25th 1884, regulator index to the top of the tourbillon cage

• Dial: white enamel, Roman numerals, sunken subsidiary seconds, Arabic outer minute ring, gold filigree hands, signed Girard-Perregaux, Chaux-de-Fonds

• Case: 18ct gold, each cover highly chased and engraved with flowers, foliage and scrolls, case front centred with a vacant shield-shaped cartouche, the back with a floral bouquet to the centre, the bezels with repeated geometric motifs, gold bow similarly decorated, lever for handset beneath bezel at 4 o'clock, glazed inner cuvette beneath a plain polished gold cuvette, covers and cuvette numbered 80957

diameter 57mm

To view shipping calculator, please click here

R. Meis, Das Tourbillon, 1986, p. 347

Girard Perregaux's 'Three Bridge' movement design appears to have been first exhibited at the Paris Exhibition of 1867. At the 1881 Exhibition in La Chaux de Fonds, the jury noted "its [Girard-Perregaux's] straight, pointed bridges, made of gold, silver, steel, or nickel, are a special caliber, exhibited for the first time at the Paris Exhibition in 1867. These escapements can be adapted to lever, bascule, or tourbillon...Each [member] has admired these pieces, especially the tourbillon escapement, perfectly executed which produced a brilliant effect" (see K. Pritchard, Swiss Timepiece Makers 1775-1975, p. G-33). In 1884, Girard Perregaux took out a patent for the 'Three Bridge' design in the United States. Later, at the 1889 Paris Universal Exhibition, Constant Girard won a gold medal for a tourbillon movement with three gold bridges.

Early examples of the 'Three Bridge Tourbillon' are very rare; during Constant Girard's career, it is believed that only around 20 pieces were made, the last example from the first generation being completed in 1911 [see F. Chaille. Girard-Perregaux, 2004, p.84].

Highly appealing aesthetically, the movement of the three golden bridges appears beautifully simple, yet it masks the remarkable mechanical complexity of its design. Arguably Girard-Perregaux's most famous and prestigious innovation, the 'Three Bridge Tourbillon' is also the most visibly recognisable form of tourbillon movement.

The 'Three Gold Bridge' tourbillon was resurrected by the firm in 1981 with the production of a limited edition of 20 new tourbillons that were manufactured to the same specifications as the originals. The project was overseen by Denis Schnegg, one of Girard Perregaux's most talented watchmakers. Following the successful completion of the pocket watches, Girard-Perregaux put Schnegg in charge of a project to develop and build a new miniaturized version of the three bridge tourbillon movement that could be encased as a wristwatch. The wristwatch version was finally realized in 1991 to coincide with the 200 year anniversary of Girard-Perregaux.