This fine timepiece is one of the exceedingly rare Grande Sonnerie clock watches with carillon minute repeating on three hammers instead of the better known two. The rarity is further enhanced by the perpetual calendar complication.

The movement was supplied by Cézar Racine of Le Locle, who, on 6 February 1899, had filed for Swiss Patent 18543, "Perfectionnement au mécanisme des pièces d'horlogerie à grande sonnerie/Improvement of the mechanism for timepieces with "Grande Sonnerie". It proved so successful that it was used by several other manufacturers, notably Zenith and Hausmann.

The catalogue description of the Hong Kong 8 June 2002 sale where the watch was last offered stated that according to the Archives of Hausmann & Co. it was orignally sold to Prince Urbano Sacchetti.

Prince Urbano Sacchetti
The Sacchetti family is an Italian noble family originating in Tuscany, now resident in Rome, whose earliest documented member Merlo lived during the late 10th and early 11th centuries. The name of the family is derived from one or more members known as Sacchetto. According to Ugolino di Vieri (1438–1516),"nobile Sacchetti genus est, moenia primus romanus sangius".

In the 19th century, the Sacchetti inherited the title of Prince of Palestrina and permission to use the Barberini name.

Hausmann & Co.
Hausmann & Co. was founded in Rome in 1794 by Ernst Hausmann, a young German clockmaker and his friend and partner Hermann Frielingsdorf. The firm is still residing in the same premises in Rome's historical centre and represents the world's most prestigious watch and clock manufacturers.