201 - UTILIA Chronomètre sabonette watch. Switzerland, 1920.

UTILIA Chronomètre sabonette watch. Switzerland, 1920. Sabonette-style pocket watch with a circular gold-plated metal case. The exterior is decorated with a fine guilloché pattern of concentric circles and a fluted bezel. The winding crown and suspension ring are located at the 3 o’clock position in the open position. White porcelain dial signed “Chronomètre UTILIA,” with black Roman numerals for the hours, an inner 13-to-24-hour scale in red, and a railroad-style minute track around the perimeter. Gold whip-tip hands and a small subsidiary seconds dial at 6 o’clock. Swiss manual-winding mechanical movement with a Breguet balance spring. Comes with a gold-plated metal chain, consisting of openwork oval links and a buckle clasp. It works, though it requires servicing. Measurements: 52 mm (case diameter, excluding crown and bezel) Provenance: Family bequest of Ramon Martí Alsina and Ricard Martí Aguiló. An art and heritage collection whose origins lie in the legacy of the Catalan painters Ramon Martí Alsina (1826–1894), a key figure in 19th-century Catalan realism, and his son Ricard Martí Aguiló (1857–1935). Passed down and enriched over successive generations, the collection brings together works from the original estates of both artists, along with new acquisitions made by their descendants. They remained particularly dedicated to the preservation and restoration of the family legacy, acquiring works by the painters themselves as they came onto the market and gradually expanding the collection with paintings, sculptures, archaeological artifacts, and other objects of artistic and historical interest. This UTILIA Chronomètre pocket watch belongs to the tradition of Swiss mechanical watchmaking, which during the first half of the 20th century maintained outstanding international prestige thanks to the precision of its mechanisms and the development of technical solutions designed to improve timekeeping accuracy. Of particular interest is its hand-wound movement with a Breguet balance spring, a solution developed to promote the concentric behavior of the regulating organ and improve the isochronism of the balance wheel—one of the fundamental aspects of mechanical chronometry. In the description of the watches, when it states “it works,” it means that the watch is functioning. Since collector’s watches typically have delicate and complex mechanisms, the buyer is responsible for any general servicing, inspection, battery replacement, adjustment, or repair that may be necessary. We do not guarantee the perfect functioning of any watch. All photographs of our watches are original and were taken by our photographers; in other words, we do not use stock photography, which is why the photographs are considered part of the catalog listing.