Louis Cottier et le prototype Patek Philippe Cobra (Vintage)

posté par Ed the Grocer (modérateur) , Paris, 08/10/10, 17:00
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Le lancement il y a peu de temps de l'Urwerk CC1 a fait un peu sortir de l'ombre un prototype Patek Philippe à affichage digital , conçu par Louis Cottier en 1958.

Urwerk revendique cette filiation dans sa communication :

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Et voici Louis Cottier , célèbre pour ses world time , son élégance et sa modestie :

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Osvaldo Patrizzi lui rend hommage dans cet article , en le qualifiant de génie :


Louis Cottier - A Watchmaking Genius Ahead of his Time


Louis Cottier was an extrovert, a kind man, a “Sunday painter” as he called himself, a constructor of automata and singing birds and of the shadow theatres called “ombres chinoises” in French, a lover of mechanical music, and a restorer of clocks and watches so talented that Alfred Chapuis, the well-known horological historian, recommended him to Hans Wilsdorf, the founder of Rolex, who entrusted him with the restoration and maintenance of his collection of antique watches.
Louis Cottier was born on September 28, 1894 in Carouge, a small Sardinian enclave which dates from the reign of the Bourbons. Cottier came by his talents naturally. His father Emmanuel was known as a maker of watches and automata and had a workshop in the rue Saint-Victor. Louis attended the Geneva school of horology in the rue Necker, in the class of another important figure in Genevan horology, Henry Hess.
The teaching of this master profoundly influenced the young man and proved to be of great help to him in later years, particularly during the difficult time of the Great Depression. Once his training was completed, he worked as master horologist in several local factories. The economic crisis forced companies to drastically reduce production, certain of them closing down entirely. It is at this time that Louis Cottier decided to go into business on his own, working for 13 years in the back room of a book and stationery shop which his wife operated at rue Vautier 45 in Carouge. In this modest atelier he began his activity as a maker of desk clocks, pocket watches, wristwatches and hand-made prototypes. In the beginning, he made wristwatches without hands, and watches with jumping digital hours, as well as watches with automata and jacquemarts. It was in this workshop that his first World Time pocket watch was made in 1931 for Beszanger, a well-known local jewellery and watch shop.
Cottier became a specialist in World Time time-pieces, constructing hand-made models for the largest Geneva firms, all with similar characteristics. In 1958, he made a linear hour watch for Patek Philippe. This model eliminated the use of hands and dial, as the passing time was indicated within two graduated openings on the case, the hour and minute indications being printed helicoidally on rollers. However, this model remained a prototype and was never produced.
Ever active, brilliant but modest despite the tremendous reputation he had earned in the world of horology, he remained faithful to his work-bench, where he continued to invent fantastic mechanisms with his usual humility, mechanisms which even today provoke our wonder and admiration.
Louis Cottier died on September 16, 1966 in Carouge. His production totalled 455 movements for World Time pocket watches, wristwatches, and clocks, produced at an average rate of 13 pieces per year.



Le prototype :

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Et le calibre, qui n'a pas de numero de référence , rare chez Patek Philippe :

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Une série de photo d'époque de la Cobra :

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---
Ed the Grocer ancienne maison l'Epicier


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