Remarkably preserved in its massive, open-face, silver bassine case, this chronometer features a superlative example of the era’s highest-quality movement. Every angle, part, and screw was hand-finished to exceptional standards. The technical prowess is on full display with a Guillaume balance featuring a diamond end stone, gold poising screws, and a blued steel over-coil. The movement also includes a rose-gold screwed chaton, elegantly seated within a hand-finished bridge. No expense was spared in its production, and it stands as a living testament to early 20th-century high-end watchmaking. Historically, this is an extraordinary survivor of the U.S. Navy’s call for chronometer watches in the first half of the 20th century—remarkable not only for its condition but also for its provenance. It is likely that this chronometer was used on one of the four U.S. Navy rigid airships (Zeppelins) in service during this era. At the time, the U.S. Navy used a Navigator’s Trio on board each airship—officially the “Navigator’s Timing Outfit”—comprising three dedicated chronometer watches, as recommended by the U.S. Naval Observatory, for simultaneous, mission-critical readings to time sidereal observations and record positions. The set of three separate chronometers was the dictated standard for redundancy and checks and balances. A Patek Philippe trio set formerly used on the USS Los Angeles (ZR-3)—the record-setting Zeppelin that flew from Friedrichshafen to New York in just 81 hours in 1924—sold at Sotheby’s in 2021 for USD151,2000 (link: https://www.sothebys.com/en/buy/auction/2021/important-watches-4/a-fine-and-possibly-unique-set-of-three-torpedo).
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