2.0173 James Nardin ‘Seconde Morte’ Jumping Seconds, 1870’s

£3,800.00

Large, extremely high-quality conversion wristwatch. Super rare, antique 1870’s JAMES NARDIN movement with ‘Seconde Morte’ jumping second feature. New, 48mm custom-made stainless steel case with display caseback for viewing the complicated and vintage movement inside. Has undergone full servicing with disassembly at our Bristol workshop. Comes with a 12-month warranty and a 20mm high-quality genuine leather strap.

Out of stock

Key Features

Sophisticated JAMES NARDIN ‘Seconde Morte’ wristwatch with a two wheel system and jumping second. This conversion wristwatch contains a super rare original movement, made by a Nardin family member back in 1870’s.

The function is called “Seconde Morte” – a ‘dead’ jumping second that does not run as usual, but jumps like in a quartz watch except the timepiece is mechanical and top-grade from the 1870’s. Its modern counterpart is the Jaeger-LeCoultre Duograph, which has a dual-barrel and double wheel train movement with jumping seconds – and this watch uses exactly the same scheme. In fact, this device contains two mechanisms that run simultaneously, united by a common oscillatory system.

The watch has two spring barrels, two wheel trains, and a separate wheel train for the dead-beat second hand. The crown winds in two directions for the main escapement barrel and for the seconds barrel, and there are two additional buttons – one for setting the hands and one for stopping and starting the seconds feature.

About The Ulysse Nardin Dynasty

Ulysse Nardin was founded in 1846 in the Swiss province of Le Locle, by the talented watchmaker Ulysses Nardin. Soon after the company started production, they began to concentrate on the creation of high-precision timekeeping devices, in particular marine chronometers, as well as complex watches containing minute repeaters, perpetual calendars, and chronographs. Keeping the jewellery and decorative component to a minimum, U. Nardin found that the formula for success in the art of precision mechanics was functionality, accuracy, and reliability. They are one of the few companies that has remained in continuous production for over 165 years. The James Nardin company comes from the same lineage as Ulysse Nardin; indeed, there were quite a few famous watchmakers in this family.

Servicing and Guarantee

This timepiece has been serviced with full disassembly. There is a 12-month guarantee, subject to the usage and care guidelines. The watch comes with a new, high-quality snakeskin style genuine leather strap in black.

Overview

Case and Strap

  • New, custom-made classic style case
  • Stainless steel.
  • Mineral crystal.
  • Mineral crystal display caseback.
  • Large, antique style crown.
  • New genuine leather strap included.

Dimensions:

  • Width w/o crown 48 mm.
  • Width w/ crown 53 mm.
  • Full height 57 mm.
  • Strap width 20 mm.

Dial and Hands

  • Original white enamel dial.
  • Thin black Roman numerals.
  • “James Nardin Locle” signature in cursive below numeral 12 position.
  • Thin, ‘Breguet’ style black steel hour, minute and centre seconds hands.

Movement

  • Swiss-made movement.
  • Hand-made and hand-finished dual barrel caliber.
  • 35 jewels.
  • Tandem manual winding device with wolf’s teeth wheels.
  • Compensation balance with gold screws.
  • Isochronous Breguet blue steel hairspring.
  • Column wheel device for start/stop seconds hand.
  • Extra fine pallet fork finishing.
  • Nickel plate and bridges.
  • Gold wheels and jewel caps.

Testing Results

  • Testing duration: 2 weeks cyclic test.
  • Average timekeeping range: 15-30 sec/day.

Servicing and Guarantee

Links and Resources:

How it Works (Video). 

Our Other James Nardin Timepieces. 

Rare Pocket Watch with ‘Seconde Morte’ Jumping Second Feature. 

Case material

Stainless steel

Dial tone

Beige/White/Silver

Origin

Swiss

Size grade

46-49 mm

Year approx

1870

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