Lot 302

Huguenin-Berthoud

A pocket watch with jumping centre seconds and chronograph

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This is a very early, very unusual chronograph mechanism. The central chronograph wheel is driven every second by a switching system mounted in rubies, which is activated every second by a six-pointed star on the escape wheel. Three blued balance springs control the side levers for the locking device of the seconds.

The Huguenin-Berthoud watch manufactory in Les Ponts de Martel is one of the many small but very exquisite Swiss watch manufacturers. To distinguish it from other well-known and famous manufactories, the owners very often used to add the surname of their wife; what luck if that too has such a good ring to it in watchmaking circles, as in this case!