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Illinois. A fine 14K gold open face watch with Delong escapement21 Special, No. 4094209 image 1
Illinois. A fine 14K gold open face watch with Delong escapement21 Special, No. 4094209 image 2
Lot 1020

Illinois. A fine 14K gold open face watch with Delong escapement
21 Special, No. 4094209

12 June 2014, 13:00 EDT
New York

Sold for US$6,875 inc. premium

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Illinois. A fine 14K gold open face watch with Delong escapement

21 Special, No. 4094209
21-jewel 16-size grade 606 damascened divided ¾ plate movement, adjusted to 3 positions, jewels in gold settings, Delong's lever escapement with D-shaped upright pallets, bimetallic balance, blued spring with overcoil, micrometer regulator, pendant set, silvered dial signed "DeLong Escapement", minute ring with roman chapters at 10 minute intervals, subsidiary seconds, blued hands, plain 14K D.C.W. Co. swing out case
48mm, 76.4 grams

Footnotes

Charles E. De Long patented a lever watch escapement in 1916 that employed semi cylindrical upright pallets shaped and adjusted so as to minimally interact with the escape wheel during locking and impulse, thus resulting in greater precision. Illinois, Hamilton and Ball produced a small number of watches with the De Long escapement. According to Chamberlin, the escapement met expectations when perfectly executed, however it required such precise adjustment that it proved impractical to produce on a large scale. In addition, the upright pallets increased the thickness of the movement at a time when fashion dictated watches be as thin as possible.

See: Chamberlain, P. M. (1941). It's About Time. New York: Richard R. Smith. pp. 100 - 103.

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