uhren - Auktionen Dr. Crott

Specialists for Premium Timepieces • Proprietor Stefan Muser

Renaissance clock with automaton, circa 1690
Dear collector,
I look forward to welcoming you as a client of auction house Auktionen Dr. H. Crott and assure
you of our most competent support in all technical and financial issues associated with the
potential sale of your timepiece.
As proprietor and managing director of the company I am of course at all times available for my
customers - supported by my highly qualified and efficient team, so we can guarantee that your
prize collectibles will always find an appreciative new home!
Auktionen Dr. H. Crott specializes in the auctioning of high-quality timepieces and can claim
more experience and success than any other auction house in Germany; we are pleased to
be counted among the premier houses worldwide. Both private and institutional collectors know
our auctions to be the events to go to for the sale and purchase of exceptional objects; very often
we are able to present truly unique pieces such as the astronomical precision pendulum clock or
the astronomical hunting case pocket watch by A. Lange & Soehne in Glashuette, which were
both part of our 77 th auction.
I hope that you too will put your trust in us and take advantage of our knowledge and extensive
experience. Our professional know-how and our enthusiasm for precision masterpieces of times
past will guarantee our commitment to form a trusting relationship with you as a collector, which
I consider the prerequisite for achieving optimum results at auction.
With kind regards,
Stefan Muser

Introduction
For more than 34 years the name Auktionen Dr. H.
Crott has stood for competence in timepieces.
Founded 1973 in Aachen by the expert and collector
Dr. Helmut Crott, the auction house rapidly
established an international reputation as a
reliable partner for watch and clock enthusiasts.
After many years of dedication to the business,
Dr. Crott retired in 1993 and passed his successful
and distinguished auction house on to Stefan
Muser. To this day the company carries the
name Dr. Crott, with whom we share a deep and
trusting relationship and who still holds an intense
interest in the development of the auction house.
Auktionen Dr. H. Crott moved to Mannheim (near
Frankfurt/Main) in 1994, where the excellent
infrastructure makes for easy access for the ever
increasing international customer base. In Mannheim
the success story of Auktionen Dr. H. Crott
now continues into its 35 th year.
Astronomical hunting case pocket watch by Lange & Söhne, Glashütte
Proprietor and Auctioneer
Born in 1963 in Mannheim, Stefan Muser, the son of
enthusiastic collector Hans Muser and his wife Gisela,
was infected at an early age with the timepiece bug.
For more than 30 years now Stefan Muser has been
dedicating himself to timepieces and their history;
what started out as a hobby quickly became a vocation
and a career. Today Stefan Muser is one of the world’s
most renowned experts in his field.
Proof of his professional competence are not only his
numerous publications on the subject of auctions and
performance of vintage watches, but also the detailed
and lovingly designed auction catalogues of Auktionen
Dr. H. Crott.
Stefan Muser is married and has two children. His wife
Annette and other members of the family are involved
in the company, so that this can justifiably be called
a true family business. It allows a stable and close
personal contact with the clients and collectors, and
ensures a long-term commitment on both sides.
Because of his passion, his solid experience and his
profound knowledge in his field of activity, Stefan
Muser has played a major role in determining the
pricing in the international watch and clock market
for many years. His excellent reputation amongst the
collectors has proven to be an ideal platform for
the successful sale or purchase of collections and
objects of the highest quality, which he sees as the
only way to achieve maximum results!
AUKK 2007 Titel Cover:AUKK 2007 Titel Cover 19.12.08 12:47 Seite 1
ARMBAND
UHREN
ARMBAND
UHREN
Klassik
KATALOG
Stefan Muser
Michael Ph. Horlbeck
Der Preisguide für Uhrensammler
Über 1300 Modelle
HEEL
07001 € (D) 19,90 / € (A) 21,90
CHF 38,90 / € (L) 22,90 / SKR 229,–
AUKK 2010:AUKK 12.12.08 10:13 Seite 1
ARMBAND
UHREN
ARMBAND
UHREN
Klassik
KATALOG
Stefan Muser
Michael Ph. Horlbeck
Preisguide
für Uhrensammler
Von Audemars Piguet bis Zenith
Über
1300 Modelle
HEEL
3. Jahrgang 2009/2010

Patek Philippe & Cie à Genève
No. 863194, Ref. 1518
Selling at Auctions – why?
Umschlag75 04.09.2007 10:15 Uhr Seite 1
To sell collectable pieces at an auction has many
advantages. Objects achieve their real value during
75. Auktion
an auction, a fact Pierre-Auguste Renoir Hotel Sheraton, (1841–1919)
Frankfurt Airport
Freitag, 23. November 2007
already realized in the nineteenth century: “You must
be aware of the fact that there is only one place
where the value of the paintings is recognized, and
that place is the auction hall”.
Just as true for timepieces as it is for paintings,
during an auction the market mechanism ensures
a transparent determination of a fair market price
Umschlag_aussen77 16.04.2008 10:27 Uhr Seite 1
much easier than anywhere else – here is where
supply and demand truly meet.
And a competent and experienced auctioneer
plays a decisive role in the achievement of the
highest prices by encouraging and controlling
the dynamics of the bidding.
Auktionen Dr. H. Crott attracted a great deal of
attention in this respect during its 69th auction in
November 2004, where a rare Patek Philippe steel
chronograph (ref. 1518) was presented. Reaching
a bidding price of almost 1.3 mill. Euros, this is
Umschlag_aussen78:Layout 1 19.12.08 12:35 Seite 1
a German record for a wristwatch at auction that
auctioneer Stefan Muser still holds to this day!
The determination of the limits is done during the
run-up to the auction by our competent and
experienced team under the guidance of Stefan Muser;
the exact expertise of the objects in combination with
the analysis of the market situation ensures on the
one hand that none of the watches and clocks are
sold under value, and on the other also offers accurate
guidelines to the collectors wanting to purchase.
Umschlag_aussen76 04.10.2007 14:26 Uhr Seite 1
77. Auktion • DR. H. CROTT • 2008
78. Auktion • DR. H. CROTT • 2008
75. Auktion • DR. H. CROTT • 2007
Sammlung Gerd Ahrens · Luzern
76. Auktion • DR. H. CROTT • 2007
400 Jahre Entwicklung
der Uhrenhemmung
77. Auktion
Samstag, 17. Mai 2008 • Hotel Sheraton, Frankfurt Airport
78. Auktion
Samstag, 15. November 2008 • Hotel Sheraton, Frankfurt Airport
76. Auktion
Samstag, 24. November 2007 • Hotel Sheraton, Frankfurt Airport

The Auctions
Several auctions are being held per year; each
and every one is carefully and extensively
prepared. The diverse special auctions offer a
comprehensive range of watches and clocks of
all epochs and are also a popular and attractive
meeting point for many renowned collectors,
dealers and experts. Bidders who cannot attend
or wish to remain anonymous can either deliver
a written bid or bid per telephone during the
auction. With regard to our international
customer base we have chosen the Sheraton
Hotel at Frankfurt Airport for our auctions, an
elegant venue with perfect infrastructure. This
makes for easy transportation for our national
and international clientele, and the hotel can
be reached directly from the airport terminal
via a pedestrian overpass.
Should you require an expert evaluation of your
timepieces in the comfort of your own home,
it will be a pleasure for us to accommodate you.
Especially where very high-quality collections
are concerned we lay great value on personal
on-site consultations, worldwide. For a free-ofcharge
and non-binding estimate, please send
us the photographs of your objects to
info@uhren-muser.de.
After consignment our dedicated team sets
about preparing for the auction. All objects are
professionally photographed and extensively
documented. This complex and time-consuming
process is the prerequisite for presenting the
timepieces in an appropriate setting in our
high-quality multilingual auction catalogues
and of course on our company website
www.uhren-muser.de.
In the course of our company‘s history we have
established a large international customer base
including many museums, dealers and private
collectors; all our clients receive their copy of our
catalogue in the run-up to the auction.
Carefully placed national and international
advertising campaigns as well as intensive press
and PR work help publicise the range of objects
presented at the auctions.
Excerpts from our auction catalogues:
557
Uhrenfabrik Union Glashütte in Sachsen Movm. No. 44502,
circa 1902
An important Glashuette gold hunting case pocket watch -
of museum quality so called “Grande Complication”
Case: 18K gold, 394 gr., 75mm diameter, Lucia à goutte form,
tiered, 5-part hinges, central part with two pushers for split
seconds chronograph and slide for minute repetition, lever for
on/off self strike, lever for choosing between Grande- or Petite
Sonnerie. Gold dome, glazed movement.
Dial: enamel, six-piece, Arabic numerals, outer chronograph scale,
inner five minute divisions, sunk day-, date- and month indication
regarding the leap year, split seconds chronograph and 30 min.
counter, cobalt blue enamelled golden moon phase disc with
applied gold moon and stars, auxiliary seconds, flying fifths of a
seconds indication “seconde foudroyante”.
Movm.: 2/3 plate movement, frosted, gilt, gold-chatoned, blued/
mirror polished screws, tandem wind with mirror polished
click works on the top, mirror polished chronograph levers with
polished bevelling, ratchet wheel, finest pink gold chronograph
wheels, mirror polished double hand tong with polished bevelling,
separate ratchet wheel for split seconds chronograph, 2 hammers,
2 gongs, gold lever and escape wheel, blued hairspring, gold
screw compensation balance, index spring fine adjusting device,
diamond endstone.
As Bernd Schaarschmidt reports on the history of the
Glashuette watch company “Union”:
“… A masterpiece of our local watchmaking industry was recently
presented and explained to us in great detail by a representative
of the company ‘Union’ Duerrstein & Co., Glashuette and Dresden,
makers of precision watches. This complicated work of art, which
represents a quite considerable amount of value, has an 18K gold
case and weighs about 300 grams. The watch was made to order
and is the 6th of its kind (!); it shows date, day of the week and
month and automatically adjusts the date and the leap year. The
reading of the time is exact to 1/5 of a second. The watch repeats
the minutes and strikes the quarter hour and the hour.” (From
a record dated May 1898)
Another recount from a visit to the „Union“ watch company in
September 1902 states:
“Mr. Bergter, the director of the Duerrstein watch company
‘Union’ showed us two special new precision pocket watches in
gold cases and told us, that he did most of the design work as
well as the actual manufacturing himself.”
The watches referred to were nos. 55806 and 44502. The exquisite
execution of the steel parts as well their harmony and beauty are
a fine example of the unmatched craftsmanship of Julius Bergter
and Martin Simmchen.
300.000 – 400.000 EUR
379.800 – 506.400 USD

250
Patek Philippe Genève · Movm. No. 1906070 · Ref. 3974 ·
Cal. R 27 Q · circa 1993
A gent‘s important, almost as new, astronomic, automatic
Geneva minute repeating wristwatch with perpetual
calendar, leap year indication and moon phase · with
original mahogany box, original certificate, setting pin
and an additional 18k gold push back – the present level
of knowledge is that no more than approximately 100
examples of this reference were produced
Case: 18k gold · glazed push back · slide for repeating mechanism
Dial: gold · opaline silvered · applied gold indexes · 24h indication ·
signed · moon phase · day-date-month-leap year-indication ·
gold dauphine hands
Movm.: 22k gold microrotor movement · rhodium-plated ·
“fausses côtes” decoration · 8 adj. · 39 jewels · mirror-polished
screws · Geneva quality hallmark · Gyromax balance · blued
balance spring · shock protection for balance · governor ·
2 hammers/2 gongs
Ref. 3974
Ref. 3974 was produced from 1989 to 1997. The reference was
introduced on occasion of the 150th anniversary of Patek Philippe
as a small series of watches in 18K yellow gold, pink gold, and
white gold as well as some few examples in platinum. Ref. 3974 is
fitted with caliber R 27 Q with its 467 components. The
serial numbers begin with 1906000. The movement is
a technical masterpiece which features a microrotor oscillating
mass, a minute repeating mechanism and a perpetual calendar
fitted together in a very small space.
The first watch of Ref. 3974 is illustrated in “Patek Philippe Wristwatches”,
by Martin Huber & Alan Banbery, 1998 Edition, p. 325.
200.000 – 300.000 EUR
253.400 – 380.150 USD
238
J.J. (Josett Julien) / Henry Clavel, Paris, 83 x 62 x 23 mm,
circa 1782
A very fine French gold enamel snuff-box with original case
“The Perfumer”
Case: 20k gold, case makers punch mark “JJ” (Josset Julien),
charge mark Henry Clavel (1781–1783), crossed double “L” with
leaves and branches, guild punch mark “T” of 1782.
Oval box, all sides engine-turned and enamelled in translucent
grey-blue, mounted gold bands applied with translucent green
enamelled foliage set with pearls, the lid inset with an oval
enamel miniature painted with an affluent dressed perfumer in
front of his house alluring a young woman, in the background an
impishly looking lad with a mortar, pearl-set border.
25.000 – 30.000 EUR
34.000 – 40.800 USD

582
Rolex “Milgauss Oyster Perpetual Chronometer”,
Movm. No. 711756, Case No. 6136907, Ref. 1019,
Cal. 1560, 38 mm, circa 1980
A gent‘s almost as new Geneva wristwatch – additional
silvered dial and additional hands-set with original box,
certificate, owners manual and papers
Case: steel, three-body, screw back, movement protection cap,
“Twinlock” winding crown, steel “Oyster” bracelet ref. 78360,
green sticker on the back.
Dial: black, applied luminous indexes, red central seconds hand,
luminous alpha hands.
Movm.: rotorwind movement, rhodium-plated, ground, 8 adj.,
26 jewels, mirror-polished screws, Glucydur screw balance, shock
protection for balance, cam type fine adjusting device.
Ref. 1019
The reference 1019 was first produced in 1966 and always has
a polished bezel. The name “Milgauss” is a combination of “Mil”
(a thousand), and “Gauss”, (the unit of the measurement of
magnetism). Normal movements can take up to 70-80 Gauss;
anything higher comprimises their working order. Good watches
usually resist magnetic fields of 60 to 70 Gauss; the “Milgauss”,
however, keeps its astounding precision in magnetic fields up
to 1000 Gauss. The watch‘s dial, ring and cover of its movement
are made in soft iron forming a Faraday cage – Rolex managed
to create a brilliant solution to the problem. Carl Friedrich Gauss
(1777–1855) was a German astronomer, mathematician and
physicist; he published several important works on celestial
mechanics, geodesy, magnetism, electromagnetism and optics.
The English chemist and physicist Michael Faraday (1791–1867)
was known for his groundbreaking experiments in electricity
and magnetism. Many of his concepts were derived directly from
his experiments (such as lines of magnetic force) and became
common ideas in modern physics. Gauss – a magnetic induction
unit, symbol “g” in the C.G.S. system. The watch is illustrated
in “Rolex, Collecting Wristwatches”, by Osvaldo Patrizzi, 2001
Edition, pp. 352, 353.
40.000 – 50.000 EUR
52.000 – 65.000 USD
43
Patek Philippe Genève · Nautilus Jumbo · Movm. No. 1309736 ·
Case No. 539091 · Ref. 3700/011 · Cal. 28-255C · 42 mm ·
circa 1982
A gent‘s extremely rare automatic Geneva wristwatch with
date · this watch is accompanied by an original certificate and
an original cork box
Case: steel · two-body · screwed on back · Patek Philippe steel bracelet
Dial: black · structured · applied indexes · baton hands
Movm.: 18k gold rotorwind movement · rhodium-plated · “fausses
côtes” decoration · 8 adj. · 36 jewels · Gyromax balance · shock
protection
16.000 – 20.000 EUR
20.800 – 26.000 USD

700
Johan Gottfridt Haase, Augustae, height 780 mm,
circa 1685
A highly important astronomical Augsburg tower clock –
a master piece created according to the standards of the
Augsburg clockmakers‘ guild
Case: bronze, firegilt, punch-stamped with the Acorn mark of
Augsburg, ogeed base with ornaments and lavishly decorated
with military trophies and foliage. Body with four dials supported
by four silvered eagle-headed mythological dolphins, bell tower
with two bells, framed by intricately pierced and engraved
silvered frets. Four moulded attachments in the corners with
applied silvered ornaments, crowned by pierced gilt obelisks
with inner finial spires. The obelisks sit on pedestals with pierced
and engraved silver foliate filigree fronts. The second hexagonal
level sits on 4 balusters which carry 8 small silvered eagleheaded
mythological dolphins alternating with 6 gilt baluster
attachments and 8 gilt reliefs depicting fruit on the opposite side.
A gilt dome richly decorated in high relief flowers and fruit and
crowned by a silvered Atlas holding a revolving moon high above
his head; the moon is half gilt and half painted with the night sky,
and engraved with the moon age.
Dial: Astrolabe side: silvered astrolabe dial with moving sun,
moon and planets. Planisphere with II x XII chapter ring for 24
hour dial. Indicators for sun- and moonrise as well as sun- and
moonset, azimuth, altitude and the astrological houses. Position
of the antisolar point. Dial with the dominical letters on the lower
left, dial for the adjustment of the striking mechanism on the
upper right side, dial with day of the week and planetary ruler of
the day, on the lower right and dial for 12 or 24 hour selection
on the upper left. Left side panel: dial for hour strike mechanism.
Right side panel: dial for quarter hour strike. Pendulum side:
central dial for 24 hour indication, sunrise and sunset, indicators
for length of day and night throughout the seasons, date and
saint of the day. On the lower left hour indication with central
alarm disc. On the lower right, the month and sign of the zodiac.
Two smaller applied dials in the upper left and right corners for
balance and decoration. All hands are very finely gilt, blued and
either engraved or pierced.
Movm.: highly complicated cruciform brass movement on
several levels, firegilt, 4 square moulded corner columns secured
with chamfered nuts. Signed “Johan Gottfridt Hasse Augustae”
on plate for the strike mechanism atop a pierced and engraved
locking device, for trains, chain/fusee for movement, hour and
quarter hour strike, going barrel for the alarm, original pendulum
with verge escapement.
This clock has always been called the “Quitzin clock” because
Schloss Quitzin was its first home. The clock has a truly
fascinating history; The Counts of Kuessow were a very wealthy
family whose peerage began in the early 17th century. The first
owner of the clock is assumed to have been Erasmus Ernst
Friedrich Kuessow, who married the Swedish Countess Reinschild
and was chamberlain (Gentleman of the Bedchamber) to the
Elector of the German Empire and Real Privy Councillor of Vienna.
Apparently a great traveller, it is most likely that the Earl bought
the clock on one of his travels. Of the thirty estates belonging
to the Earls of Kuessow, the ancestral seat was at Quitzin in the
district of Grimmen in Mecklenburg-Vorpommern. In 1757 the
Earl died of the plague in Vienna and over several generations the
clock passed to a succession of female heirs. When the Red Army
invaded the country, confidant of the family was quick-witted
enough to hide the clock in a cupboard and to store this in an
attic in the castle, where it remained for many months. When the
chaos of the invasion had subsides, the cupboard with the clock
was taken 24 kilometers to the town of Stralsund under the cover
of darkness. The clock was then loaned to the local museum in
the hope that it would be protected there. Meanwhile the family
had fled to West Germany, knowing that it was highly unlikely
that they would ever see their clock or the family estates again.
When the political situation had changed in Germany, the family
returned to the East in 1990 and found that the clock had
survived safely in the museum.
100.000 – 180.000 EUR
130.000 – 234.000 USD

Your Watches and Clocks are in Safe Hands with
Auktionen Dr. H. Crott!
The fact that we are a family business with a
strong bond between all our team members and
ourselves ensures full commitment to the task at
hand. The intensive personal contact we keep with
our clients is very different from the anonymous
assistance one so often gets from an enlisted
staffer. Of course Stefan Muser himself is always
happy to be directly of service and answer any
questions!
Maintaining our close relationship with all the
enthusiasts and institutional collectors worldwide
is a prerequisite for long-term customer retention,
which on the one hand repeatedly brings collectors
from the furthest corners of the world to our
auctions and on the other also enables us to offer
so many interesting, precious and rare objects at
these events.
Limiting Auktionen Dr. H. Crott to the auctioning
of collectible timepieces has allowed us to focus
and dedicate all company resources on this
market and its special requirements. The team
perfectly combines its enthusiasm with a strong
competence in the sector, which permits us to
offer all the required services for achieving a
perfect auction – from the primary valuation of
your objects by one of our capable experts to a
successful sale. Many years of experience in the
field allow us to make a first-rate determination of
the current market value of your timepiece.
To conduct an auction successfully one must pay
extensive attention to detail, taking the many
varied influences on the market into consideration
– expert knowledge is essential here!
The watch and clock market is subject to strong
seasonal fluctuations for example; due to our
expertise this can be used to the advantage of
our clients.
In the field of evaluating and trading Riefler
precision pendulum clocks and Glashuette
watches we are the unchallenged premier
auction house worldwide – this makes each and
every one of our auctions an event not to be
missed by any specialist collector, and enables
auctioneer Stefan Muser to achieve record bids
on a regular basis!
Our professional reputation is such that even
world famous collections like that of expert
and collector Gerd Ahrens are entrusted to us;
in 2007 this was a collection of such size and
importance that it demanded its own catalogue.
The special “Ahrens Auction” was a milestone in
the history of our house and set new standards
for watch auctions at the highest level! With
a sales quota of 97% the auction rendered
proceeds of approximately 2.4 mill. Euros for
about 600 watches and was an internationally
celebrated occasion.
The group of those who consign to our auctions
spans a large range: from the grandson who was
given his grandfather‘s aviator‘s watch to the
owner of an exceptional collection such as the
Ahrens collection – and we pride ourselves on
being a fair and competent partner for each and
every one of these timepiece enthusiasts!
Auktionen Dr. H. Crott’s exclusive specialization
on watches and clocks is the major advantage for
our clients.

Worldwide Representation
Headquarters in Germany
Auktionen Dr. H. Crott
Friedrichsplatz 19
68165 Mannheim
Germany
Tel.: (+49) (0) 621 3288650
Fax: (+49) (0) 621 414004
e-mail: info@uhren-muser.de
http://www.uhren-muser.de
Our expertise is available to you through
our international representatives:
Representative for Austria
Christian Schöggl
Sporgasse 18
8010 Graz
Tel./Fax (+43) (0) 316 832421
Representative for Switzerland
Terence Howells
Hammerstr. 3, Wettsteinplatz
4058 Basel
Tel. (+41) (0) 61 6928020
Representative for Great Britain
Richard Stenning
London
Tel. (+44) 207 321 0353
auction@dr-crott-london.co.uk
Representative for Italy
Costa A. & E. Cronometri
Piazza di Soziglia 1/4
16123 Genova
Tel. (+39) 010 2476111
uhrge@costacronometri.com
Representative for Australia
Dir. Heinz K. Schmidt
3-5 Paxton Drive
Glen Waverlewy 3150, Melbourne, Victoria
Tel. (+61) 3 9560 7351
Representative for the Czech. Rep.,
Slovakia, Slovenia and Croatia
Lubomir Komarek
Hanychovska 557
46010 Liberec 3, Czech. Rep.
Tel. (+42) 0777 089 088
chronos048@centrum.cz
Representative for Scandinavia
Fenomenom
Marko Ylöstalo
PL 185
00181 Helsinki, Finnland
Mobile (+358) (40) 5542323
Representative for USA
Robert Wingate
12900 Preston Rd. Ste. 1010
Dallas, Texas 75230
Tel. (+1) 972 3 927 676
Representative for South America
Eckhard Freiwald
Placa Independencia 721
11000 Montevideo, Uruguay
Tel. (+598) 2 970333
Location
The company headquarters of Auktionen Dr. H. Crott is
situated in Mannheim in the heart of Europe, close to
the international Airport Frankfurt/Main which is easily
accessible from all countries.
From Frankfurt/Main Airport you are only a short distance
away from us, either directly by train from the airport or
by car.
Mannheim‘s motorway access via both A5 and A6 allows us
to be reached easily and fast from all directions.
In Mannheim we are located only about 10 minutes walk
from the main station.
We look forward to your visit!
Auktionen Dr. H. Crott
Friedrichsplatz 19
68165 Mannheim
Germany
Tel.: (+49) (0) 621 3288650
Fax: (+49) (0) 621 414004
e-mail: info@uhren-muser.de
http://www.uhren-muser.de
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Lory à Paris
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Goullons à Paris
Riefler‘s precision pendulum clock

Friedrichsplatz 19 • 68165 Mannheim • Germany
P.O. Box 12 04 41 • 68055 Mannheim • Germany
Tel.: +49 (0) 621 / 32 88 650
Fax: +49 (0) 621 / 41 40 04
e-mail: info@uhren-muser.de
http://www.uhren-muser.de
Business hours: Monday–Friday 10 am–6 pm
by appointment only