96th Auction
2017/11/18
Lot 155
Tourneau Watch Corp., Swiss, Case No. 810233, Cal. Venus 190, 35 mm, circa 1950
A vintage split seconds chronograph with 30 min. and 12h counter, tachy scale, date and moon phase
Case: steel, push back. Dial: silvered. Movm.: bridge movement, Glucydur screw balance.
Tourneau, LLC, is a luxury watch retailer established in 1900 and based in the United States. The company sells men's, women's and certified pre-owned timepieces.
Source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tourneau, as of 06/26/2017.
Venus split-second calibers
In general, what makes a chronograph so exciting to me is that it is an interactive complication. Most complications in watches, regardless of how complex they are, are passive – the moonphase, calendar, even the tourbillon, are not functions that can be activated whenever you feel like it. Part of what makes the chronograph so interesting, and even sexy in a way, is that there's a button on the watch that you can press, and voila – something happens. This physical interaction between the owner and the watch gives the watch something more, making it just a little more than something that tells time. That's not something you get from any other complication. But back in the '40s Venus produced two movements that, in my opinion, remain as the epitome of vintage complications – the Venus 189 and 190. The Venus 189 was essentially a Venus 185 but with an additional date pointer at 12 o'clock, and the Venus 190 incorporated a moonphase on top of the Venus 189.
I don't know about you, but I think it's crazy that this watch was produced nearly 50 years before the debut of the Patek Philippe ref. 5004. Granted, the 5004 has a, well, additional perpetual calendar on top of the date function and moonphase, and granted, the Venus caliber is essentially modular in construction, with additional complications atop a similar base caliber, but still – imagine the sheer amount of complexity that the Venus 190 contains for a watch produced in the middle of the 20th century. A split-seconds is an insanely complicated thing by itself – but adding even more on top of that? An absolute masterpiece.
Source: https://www.hodinkee.com/articles/a-detailed-survey-of-the-split-seconds-chronograph-and-its-cousins, as of 09/26/2017.
A vintage split seconds chronograph with 30 min. and 12h counter, tachy scale, date and moon phase
Case: steel, push back. Dial: silvered. Movm.: bridge movement, Glucydur screw balance.
Tourneau, LLC, is a luxury watch retailer established in 1900 and based in the United States. The company sells men's, women's and certified pre-owned timepieces.
Source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tourneau, as of 06/26/2017.
Venus split-second calibers
In general, what makes a chronograph so exciting to me is that it is an interactive complication. Most complications in watches, regardless of how complex they are, are passive – the moonphase, calendar, even the tourbillon, are not functions that can be activated whenever you feel like it. Part of what makes the chronograph so interesting, and even sexy in a way, is that there's a button on the watch that you can press, and voila – something happens. This physical interaction between the owner and the watch gives the watch something more, making it just a little more than something that tells time. That's not something you get from any other complication. But back in the '40s Venus produced two movements that, in my opinion, remain as the epitome of vintage complications – the Venus 189 and 190. The Venus 189 was essentially a Venus 185 but with an additional date pointer at 12 o'clock, and the Venus 190 incorporated a moonphase on top of the Venus 189.
I don't know about you, but I think it's crazy that this watch was produced nearly 50 years before the debut of the Patek Philippe ref. 5004. Granted, the 5004 has a, well, additional perpetual calendar on top of the date function and moonphase, and granted, the Venus caliber is essentially modular in construction, with additional complications atop a similar base caliber, but still – imagine the sheer amount of complexity that the Venus 190 contains for a watch produced in the middle of the 20th century. A split-seconds is an insanely complicated thing by itself – but adding even more on top of that? An absolute masterpiece.
Source: https://www.hodinkee.com/articles/a-detailed-survey-of-the-split-seconds-chronograph-and-its-cousins, as of 09/26/2017.
Sold
estimated
9.500—20.000 €
Price realized
10.600 €