Preview by appointment, Auction starts at 11am.
THIS IS A PARTIAL CATALOG as of 03/21/2023, subject to revision.
Although this auction has a live close by a live-streamed auctioneer, there will be no in-person bidding.
Bids will be accepted online and by pre-arranged telephone bids.
DESCRIPTION:
EPW - Movado, Swiss, lever escapement chronometer deck watch with center-seconds and 36-hour winding indicator, 81mm, nickel OF original case with threaded rear, hinged nickel cuvette, silvered dial, SW-SS, fully capped lever escapement, 21J, mvt marked "7 Seven Adjus.ts," wheel satin nickel finish, s#34007. Dial and movement surround are signed with Swiss patent 104595. A rare and notably large deck watch with great eye appeal, this is only the second example of this Movado style that our firm has had the pleasure to hand.
CONDITION:
Mvt: Running, good winding indicator function, excellent cosmetic mvt condition overall, some mild fine to micro-fine scratches; excellent dial with mild surface spotting, few scattered fine scratches; excellent hands, all hands plum colored except for minute which is blue; case shows very little wear, some nicks or small mars to edge of band adjacent rear, no dents or dings; tight bow, crown shows very little wear; good glass crystal.
ESTIMATE:
$3000
-
$4400
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DESCRIPTION:
WW - Breitling Navitimer Chronograph for the Iraqi Air-Force, ref 806, manual wind, 41mm x 48mm to lug tips, 22mm lug width, original stainless steel snap back case with bi-directional slide rule bezel, faceted lugs with round pump pushers, black leather strap, original black glossy Iraqi Air-Force reverse panda dial with silver printed text, tritium painted baton indices, slide rule scale along perimeter, three inset subregisters for minute recording, hour recording and subsidiary seconds, 17J cal 178, s#1013904, triple signed. An interesting issued military watch from the best name in the flight watch business.
CONDITION:
Mvt: Running, chronograph functions and resets properly, excellent cosmetic mvt condition overall, ample oxide to steelwork, light fine scratches to plates; fine dial with ample surface fine scratches as well as surface spotting; relumed white stick hands; polished case shows medium wear, top right lug is slightly out of shape, numerous dings and scrapes on all four lugs and case back; original Breitling signed crown shows hardly any wear; good plastic crystal.
ESTIMATE:
$2000
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$4000
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DESCRIPTION:
APW - Waltham, rare Bu. Aero U.S. Navy winding indicator, Vanguard, 23J, 16S, heavy nickel OF original Keystone case marked "Bu - Aero U S Navy Ser No. 51-31" to its rear, white enamel DS dial with "BU. Aero. U.S. Navy G.C.T." marking above seconds-register, SW-SS, fully capped lever escapement, jeweled barrel, Lossier inner terminal hairspring, checkerboard center pattern nickel damascene, mvt with "B.U. Aero. U.S. Navy." marking to dial plate below balance wheel, s#26921003. A notably rare high grade 1930s military timepiece, this is likely the finest example of this type that this cataloger has seen.
CONDITION:
Mvt: Running, good winding indicator function, nearly mint cosmetic mvt condition overall, bright lustrous surfaces, few mild micro-fine scratches; virtually flawless dial with only a negligible micro-fine scratch near edge at 12:30; excellent hands, some finish loss near tip of minute; case shows light wear, scattered fine to micro-fine scratches, some pinpoint nicks, no dents or dings, contract marking detail remains easily legible, some areas of moderate tarnish; tight bow, crown shows light wear; good glass crystal.
ESTIMATE:
$1400
-
$2200
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DESCRIPTION:
APW - Waltham, Vanguard with very rare Weems seconds-setting, winding indicator, 23J, 16S, heavy nickel OF original case with button on bezel, silvered dial with rotating seconds-register marked "Weems Pat. Pending," SW-SS, fully capped lever escapement, jeweled barrel, Lossier inner terminal hairspring, checkerboard center pattern nickel damascene, s#25895882. A rare example of Weems "Aero-Chronometer," this rotating seconds-register design was the creation of U.S. Navy Lieutenant Commander Philip Van Horn Weems and was for the purpose of aeronautic navigation, or "avigation" as it was expressed in this era. The rotating seconds-register of these watches allowed for precise setting of the seconds in accord with radio time signals. This capability was of great importance to accurate and practical aerial navigation, and in 1928 Weems worked closely with famed pilot Charles Lindbergh instructing him in the use of the seconds-setting watch and its associated aerial navigation system. The present example currently has functional seconds-register rotation but is missing a gear within its case bezel that would allow seconds-setting without removal of the bezel.
CONDITION:
Mvt: Running, good winding indicator function, good Weems seconds-setting function when adjusted by turning of exposed gear under dial at 7 but this case design originally incorporated an internally geared brass ring (now missing) within its bezel that allows setting by depressing of the button on the bezel which engages the geared brass ring with the gear under dial, fabrication of this missing component will be needed if full original functionality of Weems mechanism is desired, excellent cosmetic mvt condition overall, bright lustrous surfaces, few micro-fine scratches, patch of oxide to larger winding wheel; dial with some scattered mild fine scratches and small surface spots; excellent hands; case shows little wear, profuse fine to micro-fine scratches, some small mars to band/rear seam, ample tarnish; tight bow, crown shows little wear and has excess up/down motion extending further than appropriate when lifted to setting position; glass crystal with some fine scratches and small edge nicks.
ESTIMATE:
$1200
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$2000
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DESCRIPTION:
EPW - Vacheron & Constantin, Genève, Corps of Engineers U.S.A. military chronograph, 52mm, 0.900 silver OF original Vacheron & Constantin case with "Corps of Engineers, U.S.A, No. 896" to rear, signed silver cuvette, white enamel SS dial, skeletonized hands with luminous material, SW-SS, lever escapement with capped escape wheel, 20J, gilt mvt, s#381914. An excellent example of this high grade military chronograph. According to Vacheron & Constantin archives, there were 2939 of the 20 jewel chronograph delivered to the United States Army Corps of Engineers. This information, as well as much more on the family of Corps of Engineers pocket watches, can be found in an excellent March 2014 NAWCC Bulletin article by Thomas Koenig.
CONDITION:
Mvt: Running, good chronograph function, excellent-plus cosmetic mvt condition overall, few small micro-fine scratches, one small bit of oxide to regulator spring and few small bits of oxide to chronograph components; dial flawless in visible portion aside from few very small bits of loss to luminous material of numerals; nearly mint hands; case shows light wear, a moderate overall patina with a ring of lighter color around rear and with some scattered darker areas of tarnish elsewhere, no dents or dings, good contract marking detail, only some small bits of original blackened finish remain to case exterior; bow pivots freely and has a mild cant toward one side, crown shows light wear; good glass crystal.
ESTIMATE:
$1200
-
$1800
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DESCRIPTION:
WW - Hamilton Gun Camera Watch converted to use as a wristwatch, manual wind, 27mm x 43mm to lug tips, original chrome-plated base metal snap back case, missing hacking pusher and spring, two mounting points where a black leather and nylon strap has been affixed, original black dial with white painted chapter and numerals, 19J cal 980, s#G147355, triple signed. Includes a much later Hamilton presentation box. Although an eye-catching piece in wristwatch form these watches were never actually intended to be worn as wristwatches; these timepieces were bolted to a machine gun turret in conjunction with a film camera to allow training missions to show who shot first and at what time.
CONDITION:
Mvt: Running, nearly mint cosmetic mvt condition overall, light oxide to regulator; nearly flawless dial; nearly mint hands; unpolished case shows hardly any wear, no dents or dings; original crown shows hardly any wear; mint plastic crystal. Presentation box shows light wear, dings and scrapes from years of handling.
ESTIMATE:
$700
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$1400
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DESCRIPTION:
APW - Hamilton, Grade 974 with rare DeLong escapement, unusual 24 hour dial designed for one hour hand revolution per day, 17J, 16S, nickel OF swingout recase with "U.S. Shipping Board" marking to rear, metal dial, time-zone hour hands set 3 hours apart, SW-SS, DeLong escapement with D-shaped upright pallets extending downward below the plane of the lever, mono-metallic balance with Elinvar hairspring, nickel damascene, s#1248499. An intriguing piece, although the movement serial number ostensibly dates to about 1917 the mono-metallic balance wheel of the watch dates to the 1940s or somewhat thereafter and we suspect that the movement's other unusual features (24 hour dial and its associated gearing, and the DeLong escapement) also may have been executed at this time. Charles E. DeLong's escapement designs were granted U.S. patent numbers 1192812 and 1327226 on July 25, 1916 and January 6, 1920 respectively. The DeLong escapement was added to a small number of Hamilton, Illinois, and Ball Hamilton movements, and these watches initially performed admirably with functional advantages of an increased escapement draw angle and a reduced recoil, but the DeLong escapement never gained widespread use as its benefits were offset by a potential for performance impairment following servicing due to this escapement's greater sensitivity to slight changes in the depthing of the escapement hole jewels. We had the pleasure of handling this particular example previously, in 2020 with the sale of Robert Bennett's Hamilton collection. Now from the Estate of Henry Betjemann of Bradenton, Florida.
CONDITION:
Mvt: Ticking somewhat sluggishly on a full wind, setting mechanism not engaging while mvt is in case, when mvt is uncased and a stem is inserted the setting mechanism engages but frequently slips out of engagement seemingly very sensitive to slight differences in stem depth, overhaul needed, excellent-plus cosmetic mvt condition overall, barrel bridge with small rub mark at perimeter adjacent larger winding wheel, some fine to micro-fine scratches near case screw positions and around balance jewel setting; excellent dial with some perimeter wear under bezel; excellent hands, small paint flake to red time-zone hand; case shows very light wear, some fine scratches and small nicks, no dents or dings, good marking detail to rear; tight bow, crown shows light wear and has tendency to snap to higher position while winding and to be reluctant to snap back to lower position after mvt swing-ring is returned to position; good glass crystal.
ESTIMATE:
$800
-
$1200
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DESCRIPTION:
EPW - Zenith, Swiss, World War II era German military, 50mm, heavy nickel OF original double-bodied Zenith case marked "D. 8410677 H." to its rear, rear with notches allowing tight water resistant seal with a case wrench, inner protective cover over mvt, black metal dial with luminous material at the 3, 9 and 12 numerals and at the 5-minute positions outside the other hour numerals, luminous hands, SW-SS, lever escapement, 15J, gilt mvt, s#3502333. An excellent example of this scarce World War II era piece that is marked with the character "D . . . H" serial number sequence that is typical of German military issue of this period. The case of this watch is notably robust featuring a one-piece construction of its bezel and band; a threaded brass ring inside this outer housing contains a threaded internal nickel ring holding the movement, a protective cover over the movement, and a rear with notches allowing very tight sealing via a wrench.
CONDITION:
Mvt: Running, virtually mint cosmetic mvt condition overall, superb gilt tone; dial with small losses of luminous material, otherwise nearly mint; nearly mint hands, one small dark spot to hour; case shows hardly any wear, some fine scratches to rear, superb contract marking detail, moderate overall tarnish; tight bow, crown shows hardly any wear; glass crystal with an internal rub mark at 11.
ESTIMATE:
$300
-
$600
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DESCRIPTION:
Ulysse Nardin, Locle, Suisse, lever escapement marine chronometer with 48-hour winding indicator, mounted in gimbaled brass tub within beautiful three-tier brass bound mahogany box with signature plaque, gilt drop handles, box measures 5.75 inches cube, dial of approximately 3.5 inch diameter signed "Ulysse Nardin Locle Suisse #128664," blued steel hands, SWSS, lever escapement, gold balance with anti-magnetic hairspring, gilt plates, s#128664 with matching serial number stamped below balance and marked to dial and box plaque.
CONDITION:
Mvt: Running; good winding indicator function, nearly flawless cosmetic mvt condition overall; fine-plus silvered dial with light micro-fine scratches to finish as well as surface spotting most notably along perimeter; excellent-plus hands with light oxide; excellent-plus tub and gimbals, still retains most of the original lacquer finish, light spotting and fine scratches, brass showing in several areas; box in excellent overall condition, light dings and scrapes from many years of continuous use.
ESTIMATE:
$1200
-
$2400
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DESCRIPTION:
Waltham, "T.J. Pressey, Boston Mass." marked chronometer mvt with spring detent escapement, currently mounted in marine chronometer form with dial, tub, gimbals and box of later vintage, 16S mvt mounted within gimbaled brass tub in three-tier mahogany box, "F.J. Pressey 1203" (sic, please note error of first initial) marked silvered dial of approximately 2.25 inch diameter, KWKS (comes with two keys as pictured, one fitting winding, one poorly fitting to setting), spring detent escapement, possibly 15J, gilt mvt, s#1203 with serial number marking in somewhat cruder font so presumably not factory executed by Waltham but rather added at some point during the timepiece's working lifetime. This very intriguing movement is based on Waltham's Model 1860 design though of course features a spring detent escapement which was not used among regular Waltham production. This movement features a somewhat different signature plate shape, and notably its dial plate has been machined only for the present spring detent escapement type and lacks the machining elements for accommodating a typical Waltham style lever escapement and associated components. This movement is similar to several other spring detent movements based on Waltham material we have handled in recent years and a small number of others we have seen over the years, and this class of Waltham based chronometer escapement movements is very much deserving of further research and study. We have not been able to identify T.J. Pressey with some cursory internet searching, so his identity remains a mystery worthy of further research. We suspect this timepiece likely began its life in pocket chronometer form but was converted to its current marine chronometer form later in life by a firm such as the Roth Brothers Chronometer Co. of New York City to meet the pressing military demand at the start of World War II.
CONDITION:
Mvt: NR, fully wound, balance not moving freely, overhaul needed, fine-plus cosmetic mvt condition overall, scattered fine to micro-fine scratches, shallow indentation to plate surface to area right of s#, fine scratch striations to escape wheel bridge from sanding, dial plate with scratches and small peck marks around detent spring foot, balance cock screw is a non-blued replacement, case screw is missing its head though shaft of screw appears to remain within mvt; dial with scattered fine scratches and spotting, discoloration at upper-left of seconds-register, area of darkening near 11; fine hands with some oxide; tub and gimbals show light wear, areas of tarnish and finish loss; good glass crystal; inner box shows light wear, scattered scratches, dings and abrasions, finish loss to much of upper surface; good button latches; good display glass; outer box shows light wear, scattered scratches and dings, interior pads are replacements and the upper is poorly sized.
ESTIMATE:
$1000
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$2000
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DESCRIPTION:
Hamilton, Model 21, marine chronometer, fusee-drive with spring detent escapement and 56-hour winding indicator, gimbaled brass tub set within a three-tier brass bound mahogany box with Hamilton signature plaque to front as well as a plaque on the inner cover with details on how to operate and transport, silvered dial of approximately 4 inch diameter, KWKS (a key is included as pictured), spring detent escapement with capped escape wheel, 14J, mono-metallic free-sprung balance with helical Elinvar hairspring, striped pattern nickel damascene, s#2E12225 with matching s#2E12225 to dial. Includes timing certificate and documentation on repairs and adjustment as well as spare parts and a Model 21 service manual.
CONDITION:
Mvt: Running, good winding indicator function, patch of scratches near winding plate, some mild fine to micro-fine scratches elsewhere; dial with scattered small spots and fine scratches within visible portion, perimeter edge rub under bezel of tub; painted black hands with light paint loss; tub with numerous spots of finish loss to underlying brass, sticker tag of the previous repair person attached to tub side; good glass crystal; gimbals with good function, fine cosmetic condition overall; refinished box with good button latch functions, box shows very little wear, some exterior scratches.
ESTIMATE:
$1000
-
$1800
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DESCRIPTION:
Victor Kullberg, 105 Liverpool Rd, London, marine chronometer with 56-hour winding indicator, mounted within gimbaled brass tub in a mahogany box with maker's plaque and serial plaque to its front, interior with service plaque from Baker, Lyman & Co, original top lid of box is missing and a fabricated replacement is present as pictured but is not fitted with hardware for hinges or latch, an unmarked outer transport box is also present as pictured, silvered dial of approximately 3.9 inch diameter signed "Victor Kullberg Maker to the Admiralty. The Indian & Italian Governments. 105 Liverpool Rd. London, N.," KWKS (a key is included within box as pictured), free-sprung with spring detent escapement, bi-metallic compensation balance with blued steel helical hairspring and diamond endstone, spotted gilt damascene, s#3351 with matching serial number to dial, within tub, and to box plaque.
CONDITION:
Mvt: NR, winding arbor turns stiffly and immediately releases tension back to unwound state when key is released, balance swings freely and will tick briefly with a twist, winding indicator hand advancing when winding arbor is turned, overhaul needed, fine cosmetic mvt condition overall, plates with clouding and spots, visible train jewels coated with an abundance of congealed oil; dial with some scattered surface spotting; nearly mint hands though minute is only seating to the tip of the center arbor so will need some adjustment to seat low enough to allow setting of hands; tub shows little wear, some scattered spots and dings; glass crystal with few small fine scratches, one small edge flake; gimbals with some nicks and mild scratches; box with fabricated replacement top lid that has not been fitted with hinge or latch hardware, central and lower portion of box have been refinished and original brass slats to front of central portion are no longer present with their recesses having been filled and stained, refinished box shows little wear, locking key is not present and locking hardware function is unknown, good display glass. Unmarked outer transport box of different wood color shows light wear, typical scattered scratches and dings, top portion of box with imperfect fit falling a bit short of flush with front face of box, leather strap missing.
ESTIMATE:
$800
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$1400
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DESCRIPTION:
Hamilton, Model 22 lever escapement marine chronometer with winding indicator, 21J, 35S, in gimbaled bronze tub that is inside a three-section wooden box with Hamilton signature plaque and display glass, silvered dial, SW-SS with safety pin to release setting (depress pin in order to pull out stem), fully capped lever escapement, mono-metallic balance with Elinvar hairspring, striped pattern nickel damascene, s#2F26742. Includes the original outer storage box signed Hamilton.
CONDITION:
Mvt: Running, good winding indicator function aside from hand being somewhat out of index, good safety setting function, excellent cosmetic mvt condition overall, some scattered fine to micro-fine scratches; excellent dial with some small micro-fine scratches and tiny surface spots; nearly mint hands; tub shows little wear, some fine scratches; excellent plastic crystal; gimbals with light oxide and areas of finish loss; inner box shows hardly any wear, button latch with good function, good display glass; outer box shows light wear with leather strap having dried out decades ago and buckle with ample oxide, box itself shows very little wear with only minor surface scratches.
ESTIMATE:
$800
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$1200
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