Geneva, Nov 09, 2025

LOT 444

COURVOISIER FRERES, SWITZERLAND, ''THE OTTOMAN EMPIRE'', MADE FOR THE TURKISH MARKET, GOLD AND ENAMEL

CHF 45,000 - 85,000

HKD 438,000 - 830,000 / USD 57,000 - 108,000 / EUR 48,400 - 92,000 / JPY 8,540,000 - 16,130,000

Sold: CHF 60,000

An extremely fine, important and unique, 18k yellow gold and enamel, manual wind hunting case, key winding pocket watch, entirely painted on enamel a map of the Ottoman Empire. White enamel dial with Turkish numrals, outer minute divisions. Breguet steel hands. Decorated on both sides with geographical maps of the Ottoman Empire, finely painted in translucent enamel (underglaze). • Side 1: Green representation of European Turkey, including Greece and the Balkans, with toponymy in the Ottoman Arabic alphabet. • Side 2: Red representation of Asian Turkey, including Anatolia and the Levant. These maps are remarkably precise, illustrating the relief, coasts, seas, and major cities, whose names are inscribed in Ottoman Turkish.


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Grading System
Grade:
Case: 2

Very good
Movement: 2*

Very good

Overhaul recommended, at buyer's expense
Dial: 3-01

Good

HANDS Original

Brand Courvoisier Freres, Switzerland

Model ''the Ottoman Empire''

Year Circa 1830

Case No. 32736

Diameter 59 mm.

Caliber 43 mm.,

Weight 77 gr.

Signature Case

Accessories Original box

Notes

This type of watch belongs to a very specific Geneva production that appeared around 1825–1830, following the exceptional pieces created by Abraham-Louis Breguet during the 1810s–1820s, and further developed by Geneva’s most renowned watchmakers, goldsmiths, and enamellers.
Comparable examples are today preserved in the collections of the Patek Philippe Museum in Geneva.
This watch is an outstanding example of early 19th-century Geneva luxury production, perfectly illustrating the refined taste of Ottoman elites and the exceptional collaboration between watchmakers, engravers, and enamellers in Geneva at the time.
Cartographic watches represent a fascinating fusion of horology, decorative arts, and geography, and were often made for prestigious export markets, particularly the Ottoman Empire.
The maps are beautifully detailed, depicting coastlines, mountains, seas, and major cities, all carefully labeled.