For the second time in as many months, an example of Jaeger-LeCoultre’s brilliant Gyrotourbillon 1 watch will be available for sale through a major auction house.  Right on the heels of Antiquorum Auctioneers, Sotheby’s Hong Kong will offer an example of this pioneering complication wristwatch with a dual-axis spherical tourbillon, equation of time, 8-day running autonomy with power reserve indication, and a retrograde perpetual calendar complication.

The timepiece is part of an important private collection which will make up approximately 40 pieces of nearly 200 exceptional lots featured.  This particular Gyrotoubillon watch bears the individual number of “11″, denoting its place in the limited edition series of 75 which Jaeger-LeCoultre established for this exclusive model.The pre-sale estimate has been set between $255,000 and $360,000 (USD).

Jaeger-LeCoultre unveiled the platinum-cased Gyrotourbillon 1 in 2005 to great acclaim from the horological community.  A genuine advancement in tourbillon technology for wristwatches, its complex and unique dual-axis carriages represented a new high point in the quest to produce a tourbillon which would perform optimally within the wearing realities encountered by a wristwatch.  These include numerous positions other than vertical–the parameter which Abraham-Louis Breguet had to contend with in developing an invention that would counteract the effects of gravity on the escapements of pocket watches, mantle clocks, and other timekeepers in use during the late 18th century.

The Jaeger-LeCoultre Gyrotourbillon 1 and the subsequent Gyrotourbillon 2 both address the limitations of a conventional single-axis tourbillon in a timepiece for the wrist, while presenting a decidedly spectacular showpiece of haute horlogerie workmanship and cutting edge micro-mechanical engineering.

The Sotheby’s Hong Kong Important Watches Autumn 2009 auction will take place on October 7th at the new wing of the Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition Center on October 7th.  The auction begins at 10:00 AM.  A series of pre-sale exhibitions will be held in Shanghai, Beijing, Singapore, Bangkok, and Taipei through the month of September.