Koller View 2/21

19 Preview of the Watches auction on 30 June 2021 1 A n extremely rare Rolex Daytona yellow gold wristwatch with Paul Newman dial. Circa 1968. Estimate: CHF 150 000/250 000 2 A rare Patek Philippe yellow gold perpetual calendar wristwatch, limited edition of 25 for Beyer Chrono- metrie. Estimate: CHF 50 000/90 000 3 A very rare Rolex yellow gold Daytona wristwatch, ref. 6263, 1987. Estimate: CHF 70 000/120 000 4 A Henry Capt yellow gold Grand Complication pocket watch with perpetual calendar, minute repeater and rattrapante chronograph. Estimate: CHF 15 000/25 000 5 A large Veigneur gold and enamel pocket watch with repeater and automaton, circa 1780. Estimate: CHF 15 000/25 000 2 3 The pioneering invention for the ‘mobilisation’ of the watch was the use of a steel spring to drive the move- ment. Whereas weights had previously been necessa- ry to exert a uniform force on the gears inside clocks and keep them moving, mainsprings miniaturised the entire process. Around the year 1500, these new me- chanisms were used in ‘clock-watches’, which were ini- tially only equipped with an hour hand. Although these clocks were already much smaller than their prede- cessors, they were not yet suitable for carrying around comfortably in a pocket, let alone on a wristband. In the 18 th century, advances in watchmaking allowed true pocket watches to be made. And thanks to im- proved movements with more precise escapements, there was now also a use for a minute hand. These watches, which could be wound and adjusted with their own keys, were considered status symbols of the wealthy due to their costliness as well as the technical finesse of their special features. Around 1900, the in- dustrial production of pocket watches had reached its 4 5 3 Time in your pocket peak, and already after the First World War, wristwat- ches were considered the new ne plus ultra . Today, due to the omnipresence of computers, mobile phones and smartwatches, the current time is an all-pervasive part of everyday life. When we carry our smartphone in our handbag or po- cket today, we are unconsciously harking back to the beginnings of mobile timepieces. Pocket watches as timepieces have long gone out of fashion, but as col- lectors’ items they are still very popular – especially the technically refined and aesthetically high-quality ob- jects from the early days of their production in renow- ned manufactories, including those in Switzerland.