Hello Brian,
Thank you for sending in this vintage gold wristwatch to mearto.com for an appraisal. I shall try to help you with that tonight.
TITLE:
Gent’s 18k yellow gold, manually wound, wristwatch with triple date and moon phase dial, made by the Perfine watch company (Charles Perrenoud), Bienne, Switzerland, circa 1945-1955.
PROVENANCE:
“Inheritance piece from my uncle in the French speaking Canton of Switzerland (Jura).”
DESCRIPTION:
CASE – 32 mm in diameter, 18k gold, two leaf, and polished fluted/stepped bezel with lapidated harp shaped gold lugs, single fluted gold crown, and four small round pushers on the barrel of the case. The back cover is engraved with the 18k gold mark, “18K, .750” and is certified as being of such quality by the Swiss Poinçons de Maître of no 161 in a hammerhead without a handle, indicating the firm of Joseph Erard SA of Le Noirmont, Switzerland starting in July 21 1934. The inside of the cover is not shown but would carry the Swiss hallmark of 18k gold, i.e. the profile of Helvetia. The watch is accompanied by an aerated and shaped black leather strap. . . .
DIAL - White silvered dial with applied gold Arabic even numbered hours and applied go boat shaped dart indices at the odd numbered hours, open railroad minute/seconds track with Arabic markers placed every five minutes/seconds and each second divided into fifths. On the periphery of the dial is a date calendar from 1-31 with its own gilt pointer with blue crescent moon tip to indicate the day of the month. Under the twelve are two apertures for the day of the week and the month of the year (en Francaise), and a crescent shaped revolving moon dial below and above the six. The dial has gilt Dauphine hands with center seconds pointer, and the dial is marked, “Perfine, Daytronic, 17 jewel, antimagnetic” with Incabloc in the lower dial and Swiss Made at the base of the dial. . . .
MOVEMENT – Not shown and I would make a guess that the movement might have been supplied by ETA, perhaps the calibre 1100, a manually wound, center seconds movement with month, day, date hand, and moon phase, set by 4 pushers on the barrel of the watch. This version has 17 jewels, vibrates @18000 beats/hour and has a power reserve of 42 hours.
ETA made the 1100 pretty much the same as the ETA calibers 1102, 1104, & 1106. The movement were made in size 12’’’ & 13’’’ and these date to the early to mid-1950s. The movement has Incabloc shock proofing and is anti-magnetic. {This is all really just a guess on my part since I cannot see the inside of the watch.}
CONDITION:
CASE –Some superficial surface scratches but overall in very good condition as is the leather strap.
DIAL – few scratches and speckling across the dial surface while the gold numerals and hands show mild signs of wear. Overall very good.
MOVEMENT – Not seen but will make the extraordinary assumption that the movement is original to this case, genuine and functional.
HISTORY:
CHARLES Perrenoud of Bienne Switzerland appears to have founded and started his watch company circa 1916 with silver and gold ladies wristwatches, both lever and cylinder escapements. He advertised again in 1920 for watches with lever escapements, in 1923 for gold ladies watches. In 1932 they added their Perfine watch line. They advertised the Perfine line of men’s and women’s watches again in 1950.
COMPARABLES:
https://catalog.antiquorum.swiss/en/lots/eska-triple-date-moon-phase-lot-327-232?browse_all=1&page=1&q=triple+date+and+moonphase+wristwatch
(Eska brand similar to your sold in 2020 for 2250 Swiss francs= $2250.)
https://catalog.antiquorum.swiss/en/lots/jaeger-lecoultre-lot-322-209?browse_all=1&page=1&q=triple+date+and+moonphase+wristwatch
(Lecoutre sold in 2019 for 4550 Euros)
https://www.barnebys.com/realized-prices/lot/credos-triple-date-moon-phase-men-s-wristwatch-1950s-td4Pw_zpf credos, gold filled case sold in 2017 for $1100.)
https://www.barnebys.com/realized-prices/lot/bucherer-ref-10909-triple-date-moon-pink-gold-carl-f-bucherer-swiss-case-no-10-296-ref-10909-sold-october-1-2014-0IIMOcJWNh (well-known Bucherer brand sold in 2015 for $5000)
https://www.barnebys.com/realized-prices/lot/dome-pink-gold-doublematic-dome-swiss-doublematic-bidynator-made-circa-1960-fine-water-resistant-centre-seconds-self-winding-18k-pink-gold-wristwatch-with-triple-date-calendar-and-jsbef0YMNR (a Dome example sold in 2014 for $1948)
https://www.barnebys.com/realized-prices/lot/movado-triple-calendar-yellow-gold-movado-swiss-case-no-35897-made-circa-1950-fine-center-seconds-self-winding-water-resistant-18k-yellow-gold-wristwatch-with-triple-date-calendar-J0S23NUT2 (well-known Movado sold for 41750 IN 2015)
https://www.barnebys.com/realized-prices/lot/jaeger-lecoultre-albatros-moonphase-auto-watch-2weGYTE72 (TOP TIER Jaeger Lecoultre sold in 2016 for a 1970 model priced at $8000)
PRICING:
Since it is very difficult to find Perfine watches similar to yours I have looked at other little known brands to arrive at pricing AS WELL AS MORE FAMOUS BRANDS. Your inherited example is a most impressive type of watch, made of 18k gold and has all of the features of some of the best brands. I think if offered at auction it would have a fair market value today in the $2750-$3500 range.
I hope that helps you to more fully understand your fine watch. It was my pleasure to appraise it for you. Thank you for using mearto.com
My Best,
David