Swiss deck chronometer with Guillaume balance Circa 1919

Silver open faced lever pocket watch by Patek Philippe
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A fine and rare Swiss keyless silver deck chronometer, Montre de Torpilleur, quality Extra, circa 1919.
Rhodium-plated movement, top quality Ankerchronometer, quality extra, movement number punched twice, as prescribed for deck chronometers, 2x Geneva seals, Guillaume balance, diamond endstone, wolf’s toothing, fine adjusting device. Signed and numbered silvered dial with Arabic radial hours, outer minutes track, subsidiary dial for the seconds, and blued steel hands. Solid, polished case, hinged silver cuvette. Accompanied by the extract from the archives and test certificate (extract from the archives), tested at the Observatory in Geneva 1931. And sold in 1942.
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Diameter: 60 mm
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Weight: 159 g
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Signed: Patek, Philippe & Cie. Genève
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The present watch is a very fine example of a Patek Philippe navigation watch from a very small series, all destined for Observatory trials. The movement has the unique winding click and Maltese cross-stop work to prevent overwinding. The régleurs were the best-paid workers in the watch industry. Watches they adjusted, particularly those awarded prizes at Observatory Contests, were several times more expensive than the regular production. When destined for Observatory Timing Contests, the movements of Patek Philippe watches, like those of other makers, were double engraved with the movement serial numbers. The inscription “Extra” on the bridge of the movement refers to the high finishing of all the parts of the movement. The case also bears a German import mark for silver, indicating that it was sent for use by the German Navy. Very few navigation watches of this type were supplied by Patek Philippe, perhaps due to their high prices.
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Patek Philippe made these deck chronometers for sale and mainly to participate in chronometer competitions. The extract from the archives states that this top chronometer was created in 1919 but sold in 1942. In 1931, the chronometer successfully participated in Geneva’s 1st class deck chronometers competition. These chronometers are extremely rare. Only a few have turned up at auctions in recent years, some achieving results of more than 25,000 Swiss Francs. This chronometer was probably sold to the German Navy in 1942, as the German import punch indicates!