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I'm Seeing Double: Four Patek Phillippe Double-Splits (Repost)
Note: I was asked to post my article directly on Watchprosite instead of linking to an external site as I had originally. The original post has been removed.
A split seconds function allows for multiple times to be recorded in succession using two super imposed seconds hands. In open face pocket watches the chronograph is almost always operated by a button in the crown, while a button around 11:00 operates the split seconds function.
A turtle race begins, and you press the crown button to start the chronograph. When the first turtle crosses the finish line you press the split button, which freezes the split seconds hand while the primary seconds hand keeps measuring, undisturbed. You can accurately write down the first turtles time, and then press the split button again to release the frozen hand which will catch up with the primary hand. This process is repeated for the second, third, and so on until you run out of turtles or paper. François LeCoultre in A Guide to Complicated Watches helpfully warns that “Split-second mechanisms are very simple, but also extremely delicate.”
So what is a double split? If you asked these watches, they would probably reply with a series of dings and dongs indicating the current time to the minute. However, if they could speak, you would get three very different answers.
Split Seconds & Split Minutes (2 Watches)
Patek Philippe No. 197'542 (Source: Timesquare Online)
Patek Philippe No. 198'211 (Source: Antiquorum, May 13, 2007, lot 696)
197'542 was built in 1921 and sold G. Haag & Figlio (A retailer in Genova) on October 29th, 1925, while 198'211 was built in 1928 and was sold to Esmond Bradley Martin on September 5th, 1952. Both have a perpetual calendar, minute repeater on three gongs, alarm, and chronograph with split seconds + split minutes.
Rattrapante means to "catch up" in French; normally the split-seconds hand can be made to catch up with the primary seconds hand--which is done with a second button usually to the immediate left of the crown. However, these two watches work differently as there is only one button which follows a four-press sequence: start, split, stop and reset. So, while it uses a rattrapante mechanism it can't actually "catch up" without resetting.
Waltham 1’833’063 (Source: Jones & Horan, October 31st, 2021, lot 128)
Waltham also made a split minutes chronographs, designed by Henry Alfred Lugrin, though without a minute register. Instead, there are two superimposed minute hands. Pushing the "split" button at 4:00 will freeze the split-second hand and the split minute hand, while the normal minute hand continues to advance, showing the difference between the two times. When reset the stopped minute hand will catch up to the normal minute hand.
Much older watches with split (independent) seconds, split minutes and even split hours functioned like this, however those usually could not be made to rejoin the normal hands.
Double Chronograph & Split Seconds
Patek Philippe No. 198'434 (Source: Antiquorum, October 16, 2005, lot 370)
Patek Philippe No. 198'434 (Source: Antiquorum, October 16, 2005, lot 370)
No. 198'434 was made for John M. Morehead III in 1924, an American chemist and Union Carbide executive--bearing his family crest on the back and is currently in Patek Philippe's museum. This is the most confusing one. "Double chronograph" is often used interchangeably with split seconds, but in the case of 198'434 it literally means a watch with two independent chronograph mechanisms operated by separate buttons on either side of the crown.
On its own this isn't unique, Patek has made a half dozen such watches of a different design (which use the third button in the crown to reset both to zero). What's novel is the incorporation of a split second mechanism operated by the crown button.
The primary chronograph is the one with the minutes counter, while the secondary chronograph is mated to the split seconds mechanism. When the secondary chronograph is not engaged the watch can be operated as a normal split seconds chronograph. Note the stacked pillar wheels, we will see that technique again later.
The dial layout is unusual, basically being a hunter movement in an open face case. This is done to incorporate Patek's "American" perpetual calendar which has been flipped upside down. Once again, the repeater has been upgraded to three gongs.
Patek Philippe No. 861’184 (Source: Phillips, May 24, 2024, lot 862)
861’184--sold July 8th, 1952--is the least complicated and least esoteric of Patek's double splits. Patek Philippe already used Victorin Piguet ebauches with dial side rattrapantes extensively, so they added another rattrapante to the back. Note the return of stacked pillar wheels. Other than that, it's a normal ref. 767 triple complication.
The first press of the 11:00 button stops one rattrapante hand, another press stops the other hand, and a third catches both up. When you "split" a rattrapante the drag will steal power from the balance--to the determent of timekeeping. Twice the rattrapantes, twice the drag. An isolator would solve these issues, though at the cost of increased height.
How did Patek solve this? My guess is skilled adjustment and a stiff mainspring. Compare this to the P.L. Droz design, each second's hand is driven by its own clutch; each time you "split" the clutch is disengaged, so as you split the torque demand on the movement decreases. This design has less utility than Patek's, since split hands cannot be made the catch back up once stopped.
Double Splits Today
"DOUBLE SPLIT" is also a registered trademark of Lange Uhren GmbH, who have managed to mass produce spit-minutes chronographs. Lange have made at least a couple hundred such watches and are currently working though a run of 200 "TRIPLE SPLIT" watches, which include split-hours as well (note that hours recorders, while common in wrist watches, are almost nonexistent pocket watches).
In my grand complications article (published in April) I mentioned Patek's double splits would be likely subjects of a future article. Next month, 861’184 (the one with 3 seconds hands) came up for auction. I wouldn't be surprised seeing something similar in a wristwatch soon--Breitling's dial side rattrapante with isolator seems like a particularly good starting point.
I'm Seeing Double: Four Patek Phillippe Double-Splits (Repost)
Many thanks for writing such an