Important Watches
Important Watches
Patek Philippe
An integrated electronic master clock system with seven piece rack tower, Circa 1974
Auction Closed
June 10, 06:06 PM GMT
Estimate
20,000 - 30,000 USD
Lot Details
Description
An integrated electronic master clock system with seven piece rack tower, Circa 1974
An integrated electronic master clock system with master and slave units showing time on six dials. Anodized front panels. Master time base unit with quartz oscillator set for 10 KHz, Lower modules for programming and time resetting, backup system, alarm system for malfunction alert, and multiple time zones. All 7 units signed, protective blue plexiglass hoods.
Each system individually numbered:
Model: L4'011
Serie: 921
Model: M I 60
No. 772'302
Model: L4'011
Serie: 934
Model: L4'021
Serie: 000'168
Model: L4021
Serie: 000'147
Model: L4'031
Serie: 282
Type: GNTR-S/W 60/1
No. 14'201
Total size: 93.5cm height, 42.5cm wide, 23 cm deep, blue plexiglass hoods with handles
Accessories: Two power cords
During the 1950s and 1960s, after the dawning of the atomic age, the field of horology had to allow for the introduction of electronics. Patek Philippe, consistently striving to be at the head of timekeeping innovation, developed their first battery operated solid state clock during the early part of the 1960s. The clock system of these modules was designed to be constantly regulated by radio signals from the atomic clocks in the Parangins Observatory in Geneva. Single modules, such as the present lot, were often ordered by Kreutler in Germany; themselves specialists in master clock systems for industrial plants. This rare PC based system by Patek Philippe represents one of the most state of the art timing systems of its day. The master module can control almost an unlimited number of slave clocks. The accuracy of time was exceptional, exhibiting a margin of error +- 10 milliseconds.