LaPhare Quarter Repeater - New Arrival Part 1

It has been 3 weeks from when I won the auction for this watch.  It was yet another risk based on the information given about it.  The pictures looked both promising and scary at the same time.  The green colored material is corrosion and that does not come from sitting in a jewelry box.  I almost suspect some chemical seeped into the space between the cracks.  Possibly a polishing material.

Either way this is what was presented to me on eBay.

As you can see by the outside there is a good deep tarnish going and you can slightly

see the green.  This one shows it more.

The movement looked complete and gilt finishes are usually not the nicest to photograph without showing every spot of tarnish or dirt.  The hammers have no rust though and the overall condition is good and possibly should clean up well.

  As you can see from the pictures the green is far more extensive then can be seen from the first pictures.  The green is called verdigris and can be corrosive to the silver so removal becomes a priority.  There is also a haze to the watch inside cover that cab be wiped off with a finger.  This is yet more contaminates most likely from a vapor of some kind.

So the watch arrived after a few bumps but the guys over at Midwest-Money in St Louis MO are stand up guys and you can trust buying from them.  They did not monkey or fiddle with it possibly causing damage so my thanks to them for leaving it mostly as found.

When the watch arrived I immediately took to testing it.  The slip of the mains ping told me that it was broken.  No big deal as mainsprings have to be the easiest part to replace.  When I pressed the button for the repeater it was very sluggish.  The governor was not moving smoothly and it took way too long to sound off.  The tone was there though on the hammer blows telling me the gong was good.  The balance swing well and started to tick with just even the minimum power coming from the broken mainspring.  The dial was good without a single hairline.  Overall a risk but the watch had no nasty surprises. 

Next part....cleaning it up.