DESCRIPTION:
APW - Illinois, Grade 105, 15J, Model 2, 18S, gold-filled HC recase with beautiful engine turning and engraving detail including a small idyllic lakeside chateau scene to rear, white enamel DS dial with Old English signature font and fancy Roman numerals, SW-LS, nickel damascene, s#501024. A scarce top grade watch, the Grade 105 was Illinois' finest movement of the 1880s by a wide margin and was marketed at the extravagant original retail price of $100. These were the first Illinois watches with a Breguet overcoil hairspring and in addition to this notable feature these movements were superbly finished with gold jewel settings, gold balance screws, gold banking pins, gold cups on the winding escutcheon and the regulator, mirrored steelwork, a beveled and polished inner edge to the barrel bridge, and an ornate nickel damascene.
CONDITION:
Mvt: Running, fine-plus cosmetic mvt condition overall, scattered micro-fine scratches, some scattered small dark surface spots, some mild hazy toning to portions of plate surfaces, oxide to areas of regulator assembly and winding arbor escutcheon disk, balance jewel setting is a brass replacement, regulator adjustment screw cup is either somewhat tarnished or is a non-gold replacement; excellent dial with very small flake adjacent seconds-register at 7, very small flake to inner rim of outer chapter at 8; fine hands, minute with some oxide; case shows hardly any wear, scratch inside rear above maker’s marking, some scratches to cuvette from slipped past openings, small notch filed to inner surface of rear lip presumably from a past gold content testing, mild dent to band at 11, mar to lip of front perimeter at 9:30, few dings or nicks elsewhere, superb engine turning and engraving detail; tight bow, crown shows little wear; good glass crystal.
ESTIMATE:
$600
-
$1200
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