Very rare, Art Deco 1932 9ct gold Direct Read Jump Hour watch, Pesuex 210 movement
The case is a good size, measuring 21mm wide by 31mm Long. The lug to lug measurement makes this wear larger at 38mm. It is made of 9ct yellow gold and is in good condition for its age. It has not been polished but has had the original grained pattern re-instated on the top of the case.
The disks are original and are in standard condition for the age. The top disk if for the hours, whilst the bottom is for the minutes. The top disk has a blemish to the bottom of the 3, whilst the bottom disk has some cracking to the centre.
The lens on the underside of the case front is original. It is in good condition with some light surface scratches which fit with the age of the watch.
The crown is a modern, fitting replacement. It is gold plated and is in excellent condition. It functions as it should.
The case back is 9ct gold. It is in good condition, with no dents, but some light surface scratching as expected. The case has had its grained finish re-instated.
It is signed with English hallmarking, for imported gold. It has the mark for Glasgow assay office and the date letter puts this watch and being imported in 1932. It has the 9.375 mark of 9ct gold and has the sponsor mark of Sylvain Dreyfus, who owned Rotary in, centred in La Chaux-de-Fonds. He and his brother George began importing to the UK in the 1920s. This particular watch isn’t signed Rotary, nor does it have the winged wheel logo.
The inside of the case has a peerlage finish all over which has a beautiful shine.
Movement:
The movement is a calibre 210, manufactured by Pesuex. Aesthetically is it very pleasing, with the gear train in line under one neat bridge. The movement is also of special note for being tonneau shaped. The balance is cut and compensated. These was used in the pursuit of precision with the cut in the balance allowing for changes in size due to temperature. For the time, this was an extraordinary piece of design.
The movement is in very good condition for its age cosmetically and has been recently serviced. It has a daily gain of +220 seconds, with an amplitude of 290 and a beat error of 0.6 m/s.
A fine creation:
Originally patented by Pesuex in 1924, this style of jump hour movement is known as “Heures Sautantes”. Time is displayed through small windows in the case, with a combination of “jumping” hours and so-called “wandering” minutes.
This evocative design has been made in every decade since the invention in 1924 and continues to be one of the most sought-after styles. This was a very rare movement and watch design, worthy of inclusion within museum archives.
An example features in the British Museum, number 1958,1201.973, as well as in the publication “Watches Vol V / Catalogue of Watches in the british Museum, Vol. V The Lever Watch”.
The example in the British Museum is the club-tooth lever digital wrist-watch movement of bar shape, calibre 210, manufactured by Pesuex. The example in the museum was in the Ilbert collection. Courtenay Adrian Ilbert was a professional civil engineer interested in horology and was a notable private collector of watches. He brought together the most important collection of watches ever achieved privately.
Another example of a wrist-watch containing this movement, which was also in a gold case, sold in the 2019 Aste Bolaffi Watch Auction in Milan, 21/10/2019. It was retailed by Gubelin, yet again demonstrating the quality these pieces possessed.
Full condition report below.
Please see the images as these compliment and aid the description provided below.
Disks:
The disks are original and are in standard condition for the age. The top disk if for the hours, whilst the bottom is for the minutes. The top disk has a blemish to the bottom of the 3, whilst the bottom disk has some cracking to the centre.
Glass:
The lens on the underside of the case front is original. It is in good condition with some light surface scratches which fit with the age of the watch.
Crown:
The crown is a modern, fitting replacement. It is gold plated and is in excellent condition. It functions as it should.
Case:
The case is 9ct yellow gold and is in good condition for its age. It has not been polished but has had the original grained pattern re-instated on the top of the case. It has light surface scratching with is consistent with its age. It has sharp edges, with polished sides.
Inside of case:
The inside of the case has a peerlage finish all over which has a beautiful shine.
Caseback:
The case back is 9ct gold. It is in good condition, with no dents, but some light surface scratching as expected. The case has had its grained finish re-instated.
It is signed with English hallmarking, for imported gold. It has the mark for Glasgow assay office and the date letter puts this watch and being imported in 1932. It has the 9.375 mark of 9ct gold and has the sponsor mark of Sylvain Dreyfus, who owned Rotary in, centred in La Chaux-de-Fonds. He and his brother George began importing to the UK in the 1920s. This particular watch isn’t signed Rotary, nor does it have the winged wheel logo.
Strap:
The strap is a black, genuine leather strap for fixed lugs with fold over tabs. It will fit up to a 8” wrist.
Movement:
The movement is a calibre 210, manufactured by Pesuex.
It has 15 jewels and is manually wound. The movement operates at 15,000 VPH. The movement is aesthetically very pleasing, with the gear train in line under one neat bridge. The movement is also of special note for being tonneau shaped. The balance is cut and compensated. These was used in the pursuit of precision with the cut in the balance allowing for changes in size due to temperature. For the time, this was an extraordinary piece of design.
The movement is in very good condition for its age cosmetically and has been recently serviced.
It has a daily gain of +220 seconds, with an amplitude of 290 and a beat error of 0.6 m/s.
Case dimensions:
Case width: 21mm
Case width with crown: 23mm
Case length: 31mm
Case length lug to lug: 38mm
Case Depth: 7.5mm
Lug width: 16mm