Not signed (Henry Capt), No. 509, Genève, circa 1810. Very fine and rare 18 ct. gold quarter repeating musical watch with an automaton scene on the dial plate and a concealed erotic one. | Important Collectors Wristwatches Pocket Watches & Clocks | Geneva, Hotel Des Bergues, 21st October 1995

Important Collectors Wristwatches Po...

Geneva, Hotel Des Bergues, Oct 21, 1995

LOT 883

Not signed (Henry Capt), No. 509, Genève, circa 1810. Very fine and rare 18 ct. gold quarter repeating musical watch with an automaton scene on the dial plate and a concealed erotic one.

CHF 70,000 - 90,000

C. Double body, Empire with reeded band, the back polished. Fixed gold and enamel cuvette painted with a scene where a soldier as opposed to mounting the guard is in fact mounting the maiden in the barn. D. Small eccentric gold engine turned with Breguet numerals, the centre engraved with a rosette. Blued steel "spade" hands. The gold dial plate with a fine enamel painted scene of a landscape with a waterfall and a castle, the foreground applied with a vary-colour gold chased automaton scene depicting a Cupid on a see-saw with a dragon-fly by a lady playing the lyre. M. Gilt brass full plate double train movement with cylindrical pillars, going barrel and cylinder escapement, plain gold three-arm balance, flat balance spring, small gilt brass cock with polished steel end-piece. Repeating on gongs by depressing the pendant. Musical train with pin- barrel and six stacked steel blades. Numbered on the gilt brass dust-rim. In very good condition. Diam. 58 mm.

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Notes

The movement of this watch is very much in the style of those produced by Henry Capt, who was by that time, with Piguet Meylan, the specialist of musical watches with automaton scenes. Watches fitted with two automaton scenes are extremely rare, even more so when one of them is of erotic nature. As usually in such case, the watch is not signed. A similar watch was sold by Antiquorum in Hong Kong on 18 June, 1994, lot No. 274.