Important Collectors' Wristwatches, P...

Geneva, Hotel Noga Hilton, Oct 16, 2005

LOT 149

?The Girl on a Swing? Attributed to Piguet and Capt, Geneva. Made circa 1810. Very fine and extremely rare 18K. varicoloured gold and painted on enamel, rose-diamond set ring watch with two automata.

CHF 50,000 - 70,000

EUR 32,000 - 45,000 / USD 40,000 - 57,000

Sold: CHF 259,250

C. Oval top housing the watch and the automata, rose-cut diamond set bezel, the head is fitted to the hinged shank with runners and on its underside a shutter gives access to the winding and setting squares. D. Eccentric, white enamel, Breguet numerals, outer minute divisions. Blued-steel Breguet hands. A varicoloured gold couple, she on a swing, he standing pushing the swing, a dolphin fountain curves around the visible, rose diamond-set balance. The whole mounted on an oval painted on enamel background with a garden. M. 16.5 x 30.6 mm, oval, plain brass, fixed barrel, cylinder escapement, steel escape wheel, three curved arm rose diamond-set balance, flat balance spring. The automaton is driven by an independent five-wheel train and activated by a small lever on the side. Dim. Length 38 mm, width 24 mm.


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Grading System
Grade:
Case: 3-6

Good

Slightly oxidized
Movement: 3*

Good

Overhaul recommended, at buyer's expense
Dial: 3-03

Good

HANDS Period

Notes

This type of automaton ring watch is extremely rare; to our knowledge this is the only scene of its type. Particularly enchanting is the delicate swinging movement. A ring watch of identical size and with a very similar dial was sold by Antiquorum Geneva, The Sandberg Watch Collection, March 31, 2001, Lot 42. ?Montres de fantaisie?,Osvaldo Patrizzi and Fabienne X. Sturm, Geneva, 1979, fig. 67. For discussion on ring watches, see page 72. Piguet & Capt. Isaac Daniel Piguet (1775 ? 1841) and Henry Capt (1775 ? 1841) were partners from 1802 to 1811. They specialized in musical and automaton watches but also made very fine musical pieces with automata. Two small musical movements with five tuned teeth, playing tunes on five notes, were among their first, made in 1802. In 1811 Piguet became associated with Meylan, forming another famous firm, Piguet et Meylan.