Gold Watch no. 646

Case: Dial: Movement: Provenance: 18?? - Potter, Geneve 2015 - Jones Horan auction, 4 Oct 2015, $14,500, "DESCRIPTION: APW - albert potter, Geneva (born in New York 1836), important private label for American watchmaker "J P Stevens & Bro, Atlanta, Ga," so marked on dial and mvt, lever chronometer, 54mm, warranted 18K fine gold original American HC with hinged glazed cuvette, presentation initials engraved inside front cover, front monogram engraved in larger central button, SW-SS, WE-SSD, fully capped lever escapement, 20J, fausses-cotes NI damascene, s#646. See albert potter s#20, sold at this gallery on 4/27/2008, lot 347, with identical ebauche, simple regulator; albert potter s#664, sold at this gallery on 5/6/2012, lot 180, with identical ebauche, pivoted regulator, as in the present watch; and albert potter s#669, in the Gerd Ahrens collection, that one being in silver and also with pivoted regulator, as published in "Die Taschenuhrensammlung von Gerd Ahrens" by Christian Pfeiffer-Belli et al, second volume, pages 536-7. J P Stevens acquired and finished about 176 Ezra Bowman movements with Stevens' patent regulator, added the regulator to other mvts from various companies, and sold both Swiss and American watches under the Stevens label. By far and away the most important contract with few surviving examples is this one, by albert potter. CONDITION: Mvt: GRO, excellent mvt condition overall, minor cloudiness and MFS; dial with single long hl from center to 10:30; hands in mint purple except for a scratch on the minute tip; case shows very light wear, very few MFS, some localized FS on the front shoulder, no dents, one small ding visible inside the back near the hinge, ET detail just fading out around shoulders front and back; bow tight, crown shows very light wear; good glass crystal. An extremely fine example. PRICE SOLD: $14,500"