Inventions
See also : Space Books Incunabula Religious texts Birth of automobile French cars Instrument and equipment Clocks New watches Watches II
Chronology : 1430-1459 1680-1699 1923
Chronology : 1430-1459 1680-1699 1923
1455 Gutenberg Bible
1987 SOLD for $ 5.4M including premium by Christie's
narrated in 2020
The 42-line Bible is the first book printed in Europe with the movable type technique in a printing press, developed by Gutenberg in Mainz from 1450. The first edition is available in 1455. Gutenberg goes bankrupt in 1456 after the justice court decided that the investment should be returned to Fust.
The work is divided into two volumes, respectively covering the Old and New Testaments in the Latin text of the Vulgate, with a total of 1,282 pages 42 x 30 cm in double folio format printed on both sides. Printing is done in black ink in two columns per page. The typography imitates handwriting. The color decoration and rubrication are not printed but a guide could be provided to the purchaser.
The original edition produced under the supervision of Gutenberg is estimated at 150 copies on paper plus 30 copies on vellum. 21 complete copies have survived, plus 13 limited to one of the two volumes and another 15 with several missing leaves.
On April 7, 1978, Christie's sold for $ 2.2M including premium a copy on paper, completed since the only missing leaf had been supplied in 1953 by a specialist bookseller. This almost perfect copy is currently kept at the Stuttgart State Library.
On October 22, 1987, Christie's sold for $ 5.4M including premium a Volume I on paper, clean and fresh in its original Mainz binding. This book is currently kept at a private university in Japan.
The work is divided into two volumes, respectively covering the Old and New Testaments in the Latin text of the Vulgate, with a total of 1,282 pages 42 x 30 cm in double folio format printed on both sides. Printing is done in black ink in two columns per page. The typography imitates handwriting. The color decoration and rubrication are not printed but a guide could be provided to the purchaser.
The original edition produced under the supervision of Gutenberg is estimated at 150 copies on paper plus 30 copies on vellum. 21 complete copies have survived, plus 13 limited to one of the two volumes and another 15 with several missing leaves.
On April 7, 1978, Christie's sold for $ 2.2M including premium a copy on paper, completed since the only missing leaf had been supplied in 1953 by a specialist bookseller. This almost perfect copy is currently kept at the Stuttgart State Library.
On October 22, 1987, Christie's sold for $ 5.4M including premium a Volume I on paper, clean and fresh in its original Mainz binding. This book is currently kept at a private university in Japan.
1455 Gutenberg Bible
1978 SOLD for $ 2.2M including premium by Christie's
Narrated above.
1455 The Bible of Gutenberg and Fust
2015 SOLD for $ 970K including premium
Gutenberg invented the movable type printing. At that time when illiteracy is common, a commercial application was not easy. Targeting the clergy and the monasteries, the inventor chooses to publish the Vulgate of St. Jerome. Fust is investing in the project.
The Gutenberg Bible is the first printed book and also one of the finest. It is printed in royal folio 39 x 28 cm in two columns per page of Gothic script imitating luxury manuscripts. Three years are needed to print 180 copies of this edition, from 1452 to 1455.
This is a superb technical achievement already including the strict alignment of the edges of columns, what is now called justification. A copyist took three years to complete a manuscript of the same magnitude, 643 folios distributed in two volumes.
This amazing productivity is not sufficient to ensure profitability. The book is printed only in black and areas are left free for the client to execute the initials and illuminations. The Gutenberg Bible can not compete with the manuscripts. Fust is upset.
In 1921 a bookseller decides to disassemble a copy that was already incomplete for selling it per individual sheet. However, he has the good sense of keeping together those surviving folios that constitute a complete chapter of the Bible.
Thus, the Book of Esther is composed of eight consecutive sheets from the Volume I. This set of good freshness had been deprived of two initials cut off at an unidentified date and now replaced by fac simile in front and back. It belonged since 1922 to the Jewish Theological Seminary which decided to sell it, preferring to encourage their researchers to the study of Hebrew texts.
The Book of Esther from the Bible of Gutenberg and Fust is estimated $ 500K for sale by Sotheby's in New York on June 19, lot 1.
The Gutenberg Bible is the first printed book and also one of the finest. It is printed in royal folio 39 x 28 cm in two columns per page of Gothic script imitating luxury manuscripts. Three years are needed to print 180 copies of this edition, from 1452 to 1455.
This is a superb technical achievement already including the strict alignment of the edges of columns, what is now called justification. A copyist took three years to complete a manuscript of the same magnitude, 643 folios distributed in two volumes.
This amazing productivity is not sufficient to ensure profitability. The book is printed only in black and areas are left free for the client to execute the initials and illuminations. The Gutenberg Bible can not compete with the manuscripts. Fust is upset.
In 1921 a bookseller decides to disassemble a copy that was already incomplete for selling it per individual sheet. However, he has the good sense of keeping together those surviving folios that constitute a complete chapter of the Bible.
Thus, the Book of Esther is composed of eight consecutive sheets from the Volume I. This set of good freshness had been deprived of two initials cut off at an unidentified date and now replaced by fac simile in front and back. It belonged since 1922 to the Jewish Theological Seminary which decided to sell it, preferring to encourage their researchers to the study of Hebrew texts.
The Book of Esther from the Bible of Gutenberg and Fust is estimated $ 500K for sale by Sotheby's in New York on June 19, lot 1.
#AuctionUpdate: Dating to 1455, this rare example of the Book of Esther from the Gutenberg Bible sells for $970k pic.twitter.com/OmXMzTmOeM
— Sotheby's (@Sothebys) June 19, 2015
1750 Microscope of the Duc de Chaulnes
1999 SOLD for £ 1M including premium by Christie's
narrated in 2013 before the sale of another instrument by Piasa (see below)
The mid-eighteenth century is a golden age for scientists. Science is so vast that they still are multidisciplinary. Their ingenuity and skill are encouraged by the King of France and his entourage.
The duc de Chaulnes is altogether astronomer, physicist and engineer. One of his most spectacular contributions to knowledge is the simulation of lightning.
He also had the idea of combining the microscope and the micrometer, invented separately before him. This invention was fruitful because it immediately enabled to measure the small objects admired by Van Leeuwenhoek.
A small series of microscopes from the design of the duc de Chaulnes was made circa 1750. Some copies have survived.
The optical microscope and the mechanism are assigned to one of the most skilled clockmakers of his time, Claude-Siméon Passemant, also author of an astronomical clock which set the official time of the kingdom. The micrometer was made by André Maingaut. The scientific quality was at that time not inconsistent with luxury: its gilt bronzes may be attributed to Caffieri.
The first two instruments below have their tube wrapped in fishskin. One of them was sold for £ 1M including premium by Christie's on July 8, 1999, lot 184 and the other one for € 900K including premium by Sotheby's on October 22, 2008, lot 65.
Another one with no shagreen had been discussed before sale in this column. It was sold for € 620K including premium over a lower estimate of € 200K by Piasa on June 19, 2013.
The duc de Chaulnes is altogether astronomer, physicist and engineer. One of his most spectacular contributions to knowledge is the simulation of lightning.
He also had the idea of combining the microscope and the micrometer, invented separately before him. This invention was fruitful because it immediately enabled to measure the small objects admired by Van Leeuwenhoek.
A small series of microscopes from the design of the duc de Chaulnes was made circa 1750. Some copies have survived.
The optical microscope and the mechanism are assigned to one of the most skilled clockmakers of his time, Claude-Siméon Passemant, also author of an astronomical clock which set the official time of the kingdom. The micrometer was made by André Maingaut. The scientific quality was at that time not inconsistent with luxury: its gilt bronzes may be attributed to Caffieri.
The first two instruments below have their tube wrapped in fishskin. One of them was sold for £ 1M including premium by Christie's on July 8, 1999, lot 184 and the other one for € 900K including premium by Sotheby's on October 22, 2008, lot 65.
Another one with no shagreen had been discussed before sale in this column. It was sold for € 620K including premium over a lower estimate of € 200K by Piasa on June 19, 2013.
1750 Microscope of the Duc de Chaulnes
2008 SOLD for € 900K including premium by Sotheby's
1839 Photography offered to the World
2010 SOLD 730 K€ including premium
PRE SALE DISCUSSION
The best action in the history of the techniques of knowledge takes place in Paris on August 19, 1839. The French government gives the photography to the world, meaning that the patent becomes public and unprotected to facilitate its development.
Already on January 9, in a memorable meeting chaired by Arago at the Académie des
Sciences, chemists, opticians and other science followers had been informed about the work of Niepce and Daguerre.The enthusiasm was tremendous, and many experimenters tried once to capture also the light.
The word Daguerréotype applies to Daguerre's process and to anything needed to achieve it. This explains why this word refers to both the shooting camera and the photographs on metal.
So in 1839, Daguerre markets a wooden photographic chambre à tiroir. The tiroir (drawer) is the slide that allows the focusing. This first series of devices is manufactured by Giroux and equipped with lenses made by Chevalier.
A Giroux Daguerréotype in original condition, signed by Daguerre, estimated 500 K €, is for sale by WestLicht in Vienna on May 29. This lot includes the operating instructions in German.
On the same year, Daguerre commissioned a second series of Daguerréotypes from the same drawing by Susse brothers. A copy, also in original condition, was sold 576 K€ including premium in the same auction room on May 26, 2007.
It is not surprising that the two cameras mentioned above are in good condition. Despite the improvements that Daguerre had already made, the progress of the new public art were so fast that our beautiful Daguerréotypes quickly became obsolete.
POST SALE COMMENT
Some items are truly exceptional. This was the case of this camera. Sold 610 K € before fees, 730 K € including premium, it had all the qualities to pay tribute to the inventors of photography.
The best action in the history of the techniques of knowledge takes place in Paris on August 19, 1839. The French government gives the photography to the world, meaning that the patent becomes public and unprotected to facilitate its development.
Already on January 9, in a memorable meeting chaired by Arago at the Académie des
Sciences, chemists, opticians and other science followers had been informed about the work of Niepce and Daguerre.The enthusiasm was tremendous, and many experimenters tried once to capture also the light.
The word Daguerréotype applies to Daguerre's process and to anything needed to achieve it. This explains why this word refers to both the shooting camera and the photographs on metal.
So in 1839, Daguerre markets a wooden photographic chambre à tiroir. The tiroir (drawer) is the slide that allows the focusing. This first series of devices is manufactured by Giroux and equipped with lenses made by Chevalier.
A Giroux Daguerréotype in original condition, signed by Daguerre, estimated 500 K €, is for sale by WestLicht in Vienna on May 29. This lot includes the operating instructions in German.
On the same year, Daguerre commissioned a second series of Daguerréotypes from the same drawing by Susse brothers. A copy, also in original condition, was sold 576 K€ including premium in the same auction room on May 26, 2007.
It is not surprising that the two cameras mentioned above are in good condition. Despite the improvements that Daguerre had already made, the progress of the new public art were so fast that our beautiful Daguerréotypes quickly became obsolete.
POST SALE COMMENT
Some items are truly exceptional. This was the case of this camera. Sold 610 K € before fees, 730 K € including premium, it had all the qualities to pay tribute to the inventors of photography.
1884 The Oldest Marquise
2011 SOLD 4.6 M$ including premium
The meeting between the aristocrat de Dion and the mechanical engineers Bouton and Trépardoux was successful. The steam had proved effective with the locomotives. By developing a propulsion system of small volume that could be mounted on a tricycle or quadricycle, the team actually invented the automobile.
La Marquise, made in 1884, with two pairs of different-size wheels, is the first successful prototype and is still the oldest car capable of running. Its general shape is already not like a boiler, but that of a real car.
In 1887, La Marquise won the first event considered as a car race between Paris and Versailles, without difficulty because it was the only competitor.
Yet the experiments of Benz, begun in 1885, would soon show that the petrol engine was a better choice than steam.
La Marquise was a sensation at Pebble Beach on August 19, 2007, when it was sold $ 3.5 million including premium by Gooding on an estimate of $ 1.5 M. Before this sale, it was illustrated in the article shared by LeBlogAuto.
Certainly, La Marquise likes auctions. It is for sale on October 7 in Hershey PA by RM Auctions. It is conservatively estimated $ 2M.
POST SALE COMMENT
This fabulous milestone in the history of motor vehicles was sold for $ 4.2 million before fees, 4.6 million including premium.
I invite you to play the video shared before the sale by RM Auctions :
La Marquise, made in 1884, with two pairs of different-size wheels, is the first successful prototype and is still the oldest car capable of running. Its general shape is already not like a boiler, but that of a real car.
In 1887, La Marquise won the first event considered as a car race between Paris and Versailles, without difficulty because it was the only competitor.
Yet the experiments of Benz, begun in 1885, would soon show that the petrol engine was a better choice than steam.
La Marquise was a sensation at Pebble Beach on August 19, 2007, when it was sold $ 3.5 million including premium by Gooding on an estimate of $ 1.5 M. Before this sale, it was illustrated in the article shared by LeBlogAuto.
Certainly, La Marquise likes auctions. It is for sale on October 7 in Hershey PA by RM Auctions. It is conservatively estimated $ 2M.
POST SALE COMMENT
This fabulous milestone in the history of motor vehicles was sold for $ 4.2 million before fees, 4.6 million including premium.
I invite you to play the video shared before the sale by RM Auctions :
1912 Early Songs in the Cinema
2015 SOLD for € 1.24M including premium
French inventors were passionate about the transformation of photography into a full size show. This black and white image will give birth by phases to the sound cinema in colors by projection.
Lumière in Lyon and Gaumont in Paris are industrialists of the photography. This market is growing significantly since the release in the United States in 1888 of the film camera, obsoleting the glass plates: the Kodak. Edison, also in the United States, is able since 1891 to produce motion pictures with perforated film.
For shooting his movies, Léon Gaumont operates the Chronophotographe of Demeny who himself had been the assistant of Marey, the physiologist who studied the movements by taking successive views onto a single plate. From 1911 in Paris, the Gaumont Palace welcomes 3200 spectators.
The first movies are short sequences. The projections are often accompanied by a musician or a singer. In 1907 Gaumont publishes a catalog of "phonoscènes" which are a kit including separately the film for the projection and the record disc for the phonograph. The first titles are songs from the music hall and the opera.
Gaumont attempts the synchronization of picture and sound both in recording and performing. His Chronomégaphone requires two operators connected by telephone to identify the time drifts between image and sound that are offset by a monitoring equipment named the chef d'orchestre.
One of these devices was purchased in 1912 by a young man who was planning to make a fortune in Mexico with his demonstrations of sound cinema.
After a promising start, the experience is interrupted. The low number of available sequences did not allow to maintain a permanent theater and the installation in a tour, which was tempted, was too difficult. The hardware, films, records and even the posters came back to France in 1913 in their four huge original Gaumont containers.
This Chronomégaphone is now surfacing like a time capsule. It is estimated € 1M for sale by Rouillac in the château d'Artigny near Tours on June 7, lot 35. Here is the link to the website of the auction house.
Lumière in Lyon and Gaumont in Paris are industrialists of the photography. This market is growing significantly since the release in the United States in 1888 of the film camera, obsoleting the glass plates: the Kodak. Edison, also in the United States, is able since 1891 to produce motion pictures with perforated film.
For shooting his movies, Léon Gaumont operates the Chronophotographe of Demeny who himself had been the assistant of Marey, the physiologist who studied the movements by taking successive views onto a single plate. From 1911 in Paris, the Gaumont Palace welcomes 3200 spectators.
The first movies are short sequences. The projections are often accompanied by a musician or a singer. In 1907 Gaumont publishes a catalog of "phonoscènes" which are a kit including separately the film for the projection and the record disc for the phonograph. The first titles are songs from the music hall and the opera.
Gaumont attempts the synchronization of picture and sound both in recording and performing. His Chronomégaphone requires two operators connected by telephone to identify the time drifts between image and sound that are offset by a monitoring equipment named the chef d'orchestre.
One of these devices was purchased in 1912 by a young man who was planning to make a fortune in Mexico with his demonstrations of sound cinema.
After a promising start, the experience is interrupted. The low number of available sequences did not allow to maintain a permanent theater and the installation in a tour, which was tempted, was too difficult. The hardware, films, records and even the posters came back to France in 1913 in their four huge original Gaumont containers.
This Chronomégaphone is now surfacing like a time capsule. It is estimated € 1M for sale by Rouillac in the château d'Artigny near Tours on June 7, lot 35. Here is the link to the website of the auction house.
1923 Photography on Flexible Film
2018 SOLD for € 2.4M including premium
In 1911 Oskar Barnack was hired by Leitz. Founded in the mid-19th century, the Optische Werke Ernst Leitz company established in Wetzlar specialized in precision mechanics for optical instruments.
In the development phase of the cinema, setting the exposure time was an issue. To test it Barnack has the idea in 1913 to insert a 35 mm flexible film horizontally in a still camera. He builds two prototypes of this Leca that will later be spelled Leica for Leitz Camera. The horizontal position makes it possible to use 8 perforations per frame instead of 4 for the vertical rolling in a movie camera. The 24 x 36 mm was born.
Until then the usual practice for positive photography is the contact printing. Barnack loves hiking but he is sick and must avoid heavy equipment. He considers reusing his miniature 24 x 36 mm format. The positives will be achieved by enlargement. He makes a third prototype between 1918 and 1920.
Barnack convinces his boss Ernst Leitz II to continue this innovative experience. To evaluate the feasibility of a production and to test the market, Leitz authorizes in 1923 a small series of 31 cameras numbered from 100 to 130, the 0-Series (in German: Nullserie) of the Leica. It seems that some of these numbers were not finally used.
The 0-Series Leica has some improvements compared to its three precursors, including to allow loading and unloading the film in daylight. The lens cover is now essential for not fogging the film when arming.
The Leica 107 in B- condition was sold for € 1.32M including premium by WestLicht on May 28, 2011 over a lower estimate of € 350K. I commented this great result by stating that the 0-Series Leica is the absolute dream for any collector of cameras. The serial number 116 also graded B- was sold for € 2.16M including premium on May 12, 2012 by the same auction house over a lower estimate of € 600K.
In B+ condition the Leica 122 is one of the best preserved of the series. Its lens cover, folding viewfinder and paintwork are original. It is estimated € 700K for sale by WestLicht in Vienna on March 10, lot 3 here linked to the LiveAuctioneers bidding platform.
In the development phase of the cinema, setting the exposure time was an issue. To test it Barnack has the idea in 1913 to insert a 35 mm flexible film horizontally in a still camera. He builds two prototypes of this Leca that will later be spelled Leica for Leitz Camera. The horizontal position makes it possible to use 8 perforations per frame instead of 4 for the vertical rolling in a movie camera. The 24 x 36 mm was born.
Until then the usual practice for positive photography is the contact printing. Barnack loves hiking but he is sick and must avoid heavy equipment. He considers reusing his miniature 24 x 36 mm format. The positives will be achieved by enlargement. He makes a third prototype between 1918 and 1920.
Barnack convinces his boss Ernst Leitz II to continue this innovative experience. To evaluate the feasibility of a production and to test the market, Leitz authorizes in 1923 a small series of 31 cameras numbered from 100 to 130, the 0-Series (in German: Nullserie) of the Leica. It seems that some of these numbers were not finally used.
The 0-Series Leica has some improvements compared to its three precursors, including to allow loading and unloading the film in daylight. The lens cover is now essential for not fogging the film when arming.
The Leica 107 in B- condition was sold for € 1.32M including premium by WestLicht on May 28, 2011 over a lower estimate of € 350K. I commented this great result by stating that the 0-Series Leica is the absolute dream for any collector of cameras. The serial number 116 also graded B- was sold for € 2.16M including premium on May 12, 2012 by the same auction house over a lower estimate of € 600K.
In B+ condition the Leica 122 is one of the best preserved of the series. Its lens cover, folding viewfinder and paintwork are original. It is estimated € 700K for sale by WestLicht in Vienna on March 10, lot 3 here linked to the LiveAuctioneers bidding platform.
2.9 million! The Leica 0-series camera of 1923 sold by Westlicht (@WestLichtVienna) for a record $2,952,670 https://t.co/4T3CGKW40C #antiques #antique #auction #camera #photo #photography #Leica #art #record pic.twitter.com/Sa6piIVrpY
— Maine Antique Digest (@AntiqueDigest) May 31, 2018
1923 Marketing the First Leicas
2011 SOLD 1.32 M€ including premium
The Leica has propelled photography into the modern world. The idea was to provide a compact and handy camera using the 35 mm motion picture film.
Thus was born the 24 x 36 mm picture size, which was the most universally used before the digital image. Excellent lenses and robust mechanics enabled the photographers, amateurs and professionals, to easily realize quality images.
In 1923, the engineer Oskar Barnack has worked for nearly ten years on the design of the Leica. To test the market, a pilot series of 25 copies is made. It is known as the Leica 0, Null Serie in German.
The experience is compelling. Two years later, the prestigious Leica I opened the road of success to these "Leitz cameras".
The seventh copy of the Leica 0 is estimated € 350K to be sold by WestLicht in Vienna on May 28. The image is shared by Reportages Photos.
POST SALE COMMENT
For a collector of cameras, the Leica 0 is the absolute dream. This specimen was sold € 1.1 million before fees, 1.32 million including premium.
Thus was born the 24 x 36 mm picture size, which was the most universally used before the digital image. Excellent lenses and robust mechanics enabled the photographers, amateurs and professionals, to easily realize quality images.
In 1923, the engineer Oskar Barnack has worked for nearly ten years on the design of the Leica. To test the market, a pilot series of 25 copies is made. It is known as the Leica 0, Null Serie in German.
The experience is compelling. Two years later, the prestigious Leica I opened the road of success to these "Leitz cameras".
The seventh copy of the Leica 0 is estimated € 350K to be sold by WestLicht in Vienna on May 28. The image is shared by Reportages Photos.
POST SALE COMMENT
For a collector of cameras, the Leica 0 is the absolute dream. This specimen was sold € 1.1 million before fees, 1.32 million including premium.
1961 From Sputnik 1 to Gagarin
2011 SOLD 2.9 M$ including premium
Sputnik 1 demonstrated in October 1957 the feasibility of orbital flights. It was only a small sphere of 58 cm in diameter, but the Soviets had other plans ready in their boxes.
Only a month later, Sputnik 2, a large conical capsule of 4 meters high and 2 meters in diameter at the base, established unequivocally that the goal of the Soviets was a successful manned flight.
The death of the dog Laika during the flight of Sputnik 2 showed that this test was premature. The Russians, embarrassed by this event, waited 45 years to confess that her death was due to excessive heat. Anyway, the martyred dog would not have passed the conditions of reentry.
Thereafter the program was held step by step. In August 1960, two dogs, a rabbit, two rats and 42 mice came back alive after a full day in orbit.
The Soviets were now ready to send the first cosmonaut in space. Becoming cautious, they made a last rehearsal on March 25, 1961, with the dog Zvezdochka aboard Sputnik 10. The success of this mission provided the green light for the flight of Gagarin on April 12, 1961.
Half a century has passed since that historic flight. On April 12 in New York, Sotheby's will sell the Vostok 3KA-2 capsule used for the Sputnik 10 mission. This prestigious carcass was emptied for a long time of its equipment. It is illustrated on the press release shared by Artdaily.
It is identical to Gagarin's capsule, and unique of its kind on the market. Its price is hard to predict. The auction house announces a very opened range of estimates: between 2 and 10 million dollars.
POST SALE COMMENT
It was difficult to predict the price for something so unique on the market. It remained reasonable: $ 2.9 million including premium.
Only a month later, Sputnik 2, a large conical capsule of 4 meters high and 2 meters in diameter at the base, established unequivocally that the goal of the Soviets was a successful manned flight.
The death of the dog Laika during the flight of Sputnik 2 showed that this test was premature. The Russians, embarrassed by this event, waited 45 years to confess that her death was due to excessive heat. Anyway, the martyred dog would not have passed the conditions of reentry.
Thereafter the program was held step by step. In August 1960, two dogs, a rabbit, two rats and 42 mice came back alive after a full day in orbit.
The Soviets were now ready to send the first cosmonaut in space. Becoming cautious, they made a last rehearsal on March 25, 1961, with the dog Zvezdochka aboard Sputnik 10. The success of this mission provided the green light for the flight of Gagarin on April 12, 1961.
Half a century has passed since that historic flight. On April 12 in New York, Sotheby's will sell the Vostok 3KA-2 capsule used for the Sputnik 10 mission. This prestigious carcass was emptied for a long time of its equipment. It is illustrated on the press release shared by Artdaily.
It is identical to Gagarin's capsule, and unique of its kind on the market. Its price is hard to predict. The auction house announces a very opened range of estimates: between 2 and 10 million dollars.
POST SALE COMMENT
It was difficult to predict the price for something so unique on the market. It remained reasonable: $ 2.9 million including premium.
2018 Sympathique with the Rubidium
2019 SOLD for $ 2.9M including premium
The advancement of timekeepers includes the complications, of course, but also the search for the best accuracy. In the last century, for George Daniels, Abraham-Louis Breguet remained the absolute reference for mechanical watchmaking. Urwerk, a Swiss brand created in 1997, takes over.
One of Breguet's most avant-garde designs was the Breguet Sympathique, a pocket watch that did not need to be touched for winding, time setting and regulation. When its power reserve approached depletion, it was inserted into a clock to which it was mechanically coupled. The word Sympathique is an evocation of the coupling, by its etymology meaning 'functioning by affinity'.
Obtaining the three settings simultaneously was a mechanical feat that was achieved by his workshop for the duc d'Orléans in 1835, twelve years after Breguet's death. Restarted to working condition by Daniels in the 1970s, the complete system was sold for $ 6.8M including premium by Sotheby's on December 4, 2012.
The Urwerk AMC (Atomic Mechanical Control) system unveiled in 2018 at Baselworld Miami is an adaptation of the Sympathique to the modern technologies. Without a direct application identified, this technical feat paves the way for new developments.
The time reference is provided by a 45 x 30 x 18 cm atomic clock weighing 35 Kg. It uses the quantum energy transitions of the rubidium atom, known by physicists to provide the best stability with a 1 second error for 317 years when it is associated with a garnet of yttrium and iron. It provides the stability of a wristwatch by coupling, without manual winding, without quartz, without battery.
Urwerk announced the production of the system in three units. A price of $ 2.7M was announced in period on the web by a specialized website. The titanium mechanical watch with the serial number 001 associated with its atomic clock is estimated to exceed $ 1M for sale by Phillips in New York on December 10, lot 8.
One of Breguet's most avant-garde designs was the Breguet Sympathique, a pocket watch that did not need to be touched for winding, time setting and regulation. When its power reserve approached depletion, it was inserted into a clock to which it was mechanically coupled. The word Sympathique is an evocation of the coupling, by its etymology meaning 'functioning by affinity'.
Obtaining the three settings simultaneously was a mechanical feat that was achieved by his workshop for the duc d'Orléans in 1835, twelve years after Breguet's death. Restarted to working condition by Daniels in the 1970s, the complete system was sold for $ 6.8M including premium by Sotheby's on December 4, 2012.
The Urwerk AMC (Atomic Mechanical Control) system unveiled in 2018 at Baselworld Miami is an adaptation of the Sympathique to the modern technologies. Without a direct application identified, this technical feat paves the way for new developments.
The time reference is provided by a 45 x 30 x 18 cm atomic clock weighing 35 Kg. It uses the quantum energy transitions of the rubidium atom, known by physicists to provide the best stability with a 1 second error for 317 years when it is associated with a garnet of yttrium and iron. It provides the stability of a wristwatch by coupling, without manual winding, without quartz, without battery.
Urwerk announced the production of the system in three units. A price of $ 2.7M was announced in period on the web by a specialized website. The titanium mechanical watch with the serial number 001 associated with its atomic clock is estimated to exceed $ 1M for sale by Phillips in New York on December 10, lot 8.
