Live Auction 1353Important Pocketwatches and Wristwatches
Audemars Piguet. A fine and rare 18K gold full calendar chronograph wristwatch with phases of the moon
Lot 274 Formerly the Property of Ted Atkinson

Audemars Piguet. A fine and rare 18K gold full calendar chronograph wristwatch with phases of the moon

SIGNED AUDEMARS PIGUET, NO. 46'931, MOVEMENT MADE IN 1943, ENCASED AND SOLD IN NEW YORK ON 8 SEPTEMBER 1959

Closed12 May 2008

Price Realised

CHF 121,000

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Audemars Piguet. A fine and rare 18K gold full calendar chronograph wristwatch with phases of the moon
Signed Audemars Piguet, No. 46'931, movement made in 1943, encased and sold in New York on 8 September 1959
Cal. 13''' VZA nickel-finished lever movement, 21 jewels, the silvered matte dial with applied gold Arabic numerals, outer blue tachymetre scale, three subsidiary dials indicating date, day combined with constant seconds and month combined with 30 minutes register, aperture for phases of the moon combined with lunar calendar, in large circular case with stepped bezel, extended downturned teardrop lugs, snap on back with engraved inscription Ted Atkinson for unselfish service Jockeys' Guild Sept. 26, 1959, two oval chronograph buttons in the band, case, dial and movement signed
36 mm. diam.

Formerly the Property of Ted Atkinson

This watch, sold in New York on 8 September 1959, was presented to the thoroughbred horse racing jockey Ted Atkinson by the Jockeys' Guild on 26 September 1959 in recognition of his services rendered to the association.

Canadian-born Theodore Francis Atkinson (17 June 1916 - 5 May 2005) began his racing career in 1938 and first gained national recognition in 1941. Atkinson was also the jockey for all races of Tom Fool, the American thoroughbred horse racing champion and Hall of Fame inductee, guiding the colt to a perfect season of 10 wins in 10 starts, including the New York Handicap Triple and winning the Horse of the Year honours in 1953.

In 1957, Ted Atkinson won the George Woolf Memorial Jockey Award and that same year became the first active jockey elected to the National Museum of Racing and Hall of Fame. He was then invited to appear on the CBS television's Ed Sullivan Show. In an article on jockey Eddie Arcaro, TIME magazine wrote that: "He [Arcaro] also gives a large share of credit to gentlemanly Jockey Ted Atkinson, who helped raise the standard of sportsmanship on New York tracks."

Following his retirement in 1959 as a result of a back injury, Atkinson became a racing official and served as State Steward in Illinois from 1961 until 1976.

Specialist note

According to the Archives of Audemars Piguet, the movement of the present watch was made in 1943. It was then encased and sold in New York on 8 September 1959.

A similar watch bearing the consecutive number 46932 is prominently illustrated and described in Audemars Piguet by Gisbert L. Brunner, Christian Pfeiffer-Belli, Martin K. Wehrli, second edition, p. 247, pl. 346. It is interesting to note that watch number 46932 was sold in this saleroom on 14 May 2007, lot 330.