158 Agassiz Well Preserved and Attractive World Time Wristwatch in 14k Pink Gold, With Silver World Cities and 24 Hours Dial
Estimate: €30,000 – 60,000
Sold (Premium)€63,700
Model: World Time
Case Material: 14 kt Pink Gold
Bracelet Material: 14 kt Pink Gold
Year: 1940s
Movement: Manual
Caliber: 9 1/2“'
Case N°: 10112
Movement N°: 10112
Dimensions: 32 mm
Signed: Case, dial, movement
The Agassiz Family is a family of Swiss origin, hailing from the small village of Agiez near Lake Neuchâtel, which includes a number of high-profile members, such as the scientists Louis and Alexander Agassiz, as well as the founder of the Longines watch firm, Auguste Agassiz. Auguste Agassiz moved to the Swiss town of Saint-Imier and set up his own watch firm in 1833 in partnership with Florian Morel and Henri Raiguel. After almost 40 years, the manufacture was completed and really founded by his son and in 1876, after a constructive market research, and under the name of Agassiz Watch Co. SA. a company specialized in the production of high quality watches. Since the late 19th century, when society enjoyed a continuously increasing mobility, watchmakers were challenged to invent new mechanisms to reflect the fact that the globe is divided up into 24 time zones, each representing 15 degrees of longitude starting from the Greenwich Meridian. This ingenious mechanism has been invented and patented by Louis Cottier, a celebrated watchmaker from Geneva and used by AGASSIZ and other major manufacturers in the Swiss watch industry. While Louis Cottier’s invention is perhaps most associated with Patek Philippe or Vacheron Constantin watches, he also made movements for firms such as Agassiz. Agassiz fitted Cottier’s ingenious “world time” system to both pocket and wristwatches. The present watch is an exceedingly attractive example of a world-time wristwatch: the dial is perfect as the scale and numerals are engraved/enameled, a very costly and high-quality procedure which gives extremely durable dials as a result; the well-preserved case with unusual fancy lugs, in 14k pink gold, is, furthermore, embellished with a very strong hallmark still clearly visible and completed with its factory 14 kt bracelet. Interestingly is that this watch bears a striking resemblance to Patek Philippe’s first serially produced world time wristwatch, reference 1415 and also that in 1946, four World Time watches were commissioned from Agassiz, by the City of Geneva, to be presented to each of the Heads of States of the World War II Allied Forces.