Important Watches Collector's Wristwa...

The Ritz-carlton Hotel, Feb 20, 2005

LOT 187

"Ménage à Trois" Paul Buhre, St. Petersbourg, No.32587, circa 1900. Fine gold hunting-cased keyless minute-repeating pocket watch with concealed erotic automaton. Accompanied by a fitted box and heavy gold Breguet style chain.

C. Five-body, hinged and sprung front cover with polished border, foliate and grotesque beast monogramhighlighted with black enamel on an engine turned ground, polished band, hinged engine turned back cover withpolished border. Polished gold cuvette with sprung and hinged cover opening to reveal a polychrome enamelerotic automaton depicting two ladies and a gentleman in a boudoir. D. White enamel with radial Romannumerals, outer minute markers and Arabic five minute markers, subsidiary seconds. Blued steel spade hands.M. 17''', rhodium plated, "fausses cotes" decoration, 23 jewelled, wolf's tooth winding, straight line leverescapement, cut bimetallic compensation balance, blued steel Breguet balance spring, index regulator, repeatingthe hours, quarter hours and minutes with two hammers on two gongs activated by a slide in the band.Signed in Cyrillic on the dial, signed on the cuvette.Diam 54 mm.