The year continues at auction! On the side of the auction house Alexander Landrenamed after its president and auctioneer, and watch sales that take place every month led by the expert Théophile de la Touanne, we are pleased to present you a fine selection for the next sale to come from 23 april (Watch store rue de Bourgogne #9). For all the practical information, it's at the end of the article.
Here are some numbers and letters that make the difference! This magnificent Longines and its 13ZN movement hark back to the glory days of Longines.
Watchmaking developments in terms of chronographs for wristwatches marked the pre-war period. From the first single-pusher chronographs, with snail-shaped reading scales for making important readings, to the second push-piece which avoids having to reset before re-taking a measurement but simply picking up where you left off. Longines will arrive very quickly, and will form from its famous caliber 13.33Z of 1910its famous chronograph movement 13ZN with flyback function 1936 which will equip production watches. It is this very caliber that powers the piece we are talking about.
A watch in a 34 mm 18K gold case that we love for its faceted lugs, its very beautiful dial with lightly patinated silver sectors with the tachymeter scale of the chronograph in its center, not to mention the silver snailed sub-counters, I hear a small seconds hand at nine o'clock and a 30-minute chronograph totalizer. It will take a good overhaul of this legendary movement before you can strut around with a very large watch on your wrist.
Longines 13ZN
To understand this Explorer, you have to “plant” the context.
We are at the beginning of the 1950s and the highest peaks of the Himalayan mountains are still waiting to be trodden by the footsteps of Man. It was then that Tenzing Norgay, a Nepalese Sherpa, undertook with Sir Edmund Hillary, a New Zealand mountaineer, the ascent of Everest that would go down in history. On May 29, 1953, the feat was achieved. On the wrist of the New Zealander, a Smiths A.409 watch. To that of the Nepalese, the watch entrusted by the Rolex factory and which will serve as a reference for the one that will become the “Explorer”.
Before the famous expedition, the references 6098, 6298 And 6150 Bubbleback were prevalent. Simple, elegant watches with a hint of Explorer. There 6150with its black dial and indexes “3,6,9” that appear on this same dial, we will call it “pre-explorer”. This is only the reference 6350which is distinguished by its “Officially Certified Chronometer” accreditation, which will carry the “Explorer” mark during the year 1953. But truly, the Explorer existed before 1953 and there are references 6350 without the mention “Explorer”.
The auction house Alexandre Landre offers us a magnificent instance of the reference 6350. A dial in good condition but with an even patina which, under a magnifying glass, reveals fine cracks but still the shine of the paint, the golden “gilt” writing which echo the golden hands and above all the beautiful luminescent material that gives substance to the famous 3, 6 and 9 indexes.
A piece in a beautiful aesthetic condition which will still deserve a light cleaning before climbing some Himalayan mountains.
Rolex Explorer 6350
It's amazing how the simple view of a Heuer Autavia chronograph evokes the imagination of motorsport. No wonder when you look at old photos and suits, the presence of the Heuer logo, and even the brand's links with great pilots.
Alexandre Landre offers us here a magnificent Heuer Autavia. Jack Heuer had the intelligence after his American stay, in order to promote certain pieces such as the Autavia or Monaco with the new Caliber 11, to make them appear on the Formula 1 scene. Joseph Siffert then becomes the muse of Heuer. A great driver, winner of the 12 hours of Sebring, the 24 hours of Daytona, and other 1000 km of the Nürburgring, he is the ideal man to represent the brand. The latter will later also give his name (unofficially) to an automatic Heuer Autavia, the reference 1163T and its blue needle.
It is precisely such a reference that is proposed to us today. A tonneau case with a beautiful presence, a tachometer bezel, and above all this very soft slightly textured white dial which reveals beautiful applied indexes and their tritium points as well as this touch of light blue which gives all its charm to the reference. Inside an automatic Heuer Caliber 12, revealing a 12-hour totalizer at nine o'clock and a 30-minute totalizer at three o'clock.
Heuer Autavia 1163
Here is an Omega Speedmaster that we are not used to seeing! Her name ? From Moon to Mars. A piece that was born in Basel in 2004, and which, setting aside its dial, remains a Speedmaster Professional as one could find at that time, namely a mechanical caliber with manual winding 1861, and the same bracelet. The dial is very special, with the planet Earth represented in place of the small seconds, Mars for the 30-minute totalizer and finally the Moon for the 12-hour totalizer. You have to like how fuzzy the rendering of the planets on the dial is, but other than that, this is a fun Speedmaster.
An Omega which serves above all to remind us that after the Moon, it would be good to go and see Mars. We know that all of this is in the making, but that's another debate, the road and the technical innovations to get there being… very far!
Omega Speedmaster From Moon to Mars
This is, I think, the one that caught my attention the most.
A small 18K gold watch, which reveals only two openings. An upper one where you can read the jumping hour, and the larger one just below where the minute disc scrolls.
The other beautiful detail of this small piece is on either side of the case where you can discover two thin rows of sapphires. A very chic piece, which deserves a good cleaning and a little polishing to regain its formidable charm.
Jumping hours watch
The rest is up to you! I can only encourage you to go and see the catalog of the other pieces from the April 23 sale (Horlogerie rue de Bourgogne #9). And if you find your favorite and want additional information, the expert Théophile de la Touanne is at your disposal.
ALEXANDRE LANDERWatches rue de Bourgogne #953, rue de Bourgogne, 75007 ParisSaturday April 23, 20236:00 p.m.
EXHIBITIONSFrom Wednesday 19 to Saturday 22 – 10 a.m. to 12 p.m. & 2 p.m. to 6 p.m.
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