Important Collectors’ Wristwatches Po...

Geneva, Hotel Des Bergues, Apr 22, 1995

LOT 501

Not signed, attributed to Piguet & Capt, Geneva, made for the Chinese market, circa 1805. "L'Amphore". Magnificent and extremely rare 18 ct. gold and enamel, pearl-set musical watch with automaton scene, designed as an amphora, suspended from a matching brooch, in original fitted box.

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Sold: CHF 556,250

C. Shaped blue enamelled brooch with leaf decoration, inlaid with split-pearls and set with an enamel panel painted with a scene depicting a Cupid playing the flute for a dog and a sheep. Three body urn with champleve enamel and splitpearl decoration, the front face with below the dial an enamel panel painted with a young couple in classical dress, the back with a fine bunch of flower painted on an enamel panel, below a gold champleve cup with Cupid riding a swan. D. Small eccentric white enamel with Breguet numerals and subsidiary seconds flanked on each side of the balance aperture. Blued steel "spade" hands. The hinged front panel disclose the automaton scene with chased varicoloured gold maiden and Cupid swinging on a bow, over another Cupid playing the drum, against a finely painted enamel lake side landscape, mountains on the back ground. M. Inverted shaped gilt brass with going barrel, cylinder escapement, rosediamond set balance visible against a blued steel panel, flat balance spring. The automatons are driven by an independent musical train In very good condition. Dim. 140 x 56 mm.


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Notes

Although it is not signed, this watch can be attributed to Piguet & Capt who were the best makers of the time for such complicate watches with automatons, but not organised to trade in China. Therefore they had to deal with agents who did not wish the pieces to be signed, with any other name than their own. Form gold and enamel watches with music and automaton scene, are extremely rare. Even more so this model which is not recorded in Le Monde des Automates, nor in La Montre Chinoise nor other books on the subject. As a matter of fact, no other watch of this type, designed as an amphora , is known to exist in the most reputed collections such as Sandoz, Bernard Frank, Gelis, Gustave Loup, Farouk, or Salomons. The only other example know today was sold by Antiquorum in October 1974.