Important watches and collector's Wis...

Hong Kong, Victoria Hotel, Jun 17, 1994

LOT 171

Henry Maillardet, London (Jaquet Droz & Leschot), made for the Chinese market, circa 1790. Very fine and rare 18 ct. gold and enamel self winding, centre seconds watch.

HKD 200,000 - 250,000

CHF 40,000 - 50,000

Sold: HKD 382,950

C. Double body, "Consular", bezels pendant and bow with blue, white and red champleve enamelled decoration, the back of blue translucent enamel over engine-turning, centred with a very fine paillonné decoration in a rosette pattern. Hinged gilt brass cuvette. D. White enamel with Roman numerals. Gold skeletonised hands. M. GiIt brass, three quarter plate with going barrel, cylinder escapement, plain brass three-arm balance, flat balance spring, gilt brass cock. Pivoted on the border of the back plate, the winding weight oscillate on its edge with steel banking springs and locking device when the mainspring is fully wound. Signed on the cuvette. In very good condition. Diam. 55 mm.


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Notes

This construction, with the winding weight oscillating on the border of the smaller back plate, unable to produce self winding watches much thinner, compared with those with the winding weight oscillating over the back plate. Henry Maillardet was in charge of the Jaquet-Droz workshop in London. He used to supply the magnificent watches made by the eminent maker to Cox and Baele, the successors of J. Cox & Son in Canton, the famous dealers of luxury clocks and watches made for the Chinese market. Although signed by Henry Maillardet, this watch, probably made soon after the end of the partnership between Maillardet and Jaquet Droz, was certainly constructed with a movement coming from the Jaquet Droz workshop, it can be compared with that of the watch signed Jaquet Droz & Leschot, No. 494 of the collection in the M. I.H. of La Chaux-de-Fonds. (See Catherine Cardinal L'Horlogerie dans l'Histoire des Arts et des Sciences - Chefs-d'oeuvre du Musée International d'Horlogerie de la Chaux-de-Fonds - Editions Scriptar 1983, pages 56-57.