Important Watches, Wristwatches and C...

Geneva, Hotel Des Bergues, Apr 10, 1994

LOT 361

Frères Rochat, No. 236, Genève, especially made for Piguet E. Meylan, made for the Chinese market, circa 1815. Extremely rare and magnificent centre seconds watch set in a gold and enamel pearl-set singing bird automaton in the form of a flintlock box-lock pistol, in Iater green leather fitted box.

C. Made entirely of gold, in the form of a double barrelled flintlock pistol. The conjoined hexagonal barrels are decorated with Roman acanthus scrollwork, terminating in Greek palmettes and laurel foliage, all simulating damascened work against a champleve blue engine-turned ground. The sides with translucent scarlet enamel over engine-turning, terminating in champleve Roman acanthus decoration on an azure ground are decorated with a split pearl set border. The spine is also with scarlet translucent enamel cartouches over engine turning and palm-leaf champleve decoration on an azure enamelled ground. The " action" with applied vary colour gold side plates, caste and chased with trophies of arms against a matted ground, a similar oval escutcheon plate affixed to the butt. The "steel" of cast gold with acanthus decoration and flowershaped screws, hinging forward to reveal the pans; "cocks" of blue enamelled gold with cast top jaws and pine-cone French-style screws with agate and husk decoration. Pale blue champleve enamelled folding trigger and trigger guard. Three baluster turned and enamelled ramrod pipes, the ramrod containing the key for the watch. The watch with splitpearl set bezel is set on the side of the butt. D. White enamel with Roman numerals and centre seconds. Blued steel Breguet hands. M. Made of brass and steel in two tiers, with four going barrels and additional coil spring for up-righting the bird, square bellows contained within the butt, eight stacked cams, four to operate the whistle and four for the bellow control, the bird with moving wings, tait and beak, with turning head and swivelling on its perch. The mechanism operates much in the same way as a real flintlock pistol. Cocking fully the right-hand hammer winds the mechanism and lower the folding trigger. Upon firing, the hammer flies forwards and strikes the "flint" which flips forward in the usual manner. The barrel cover opens and the bird appears instantaneously, uprighting itself while the cover close and the song begins. The bird turns from side to side, flaps its wings and tait, whilst the beak moves in synchronisation with the song and the head turns. At the end, the barrel cover opens and the bird disappears again instantaneously. The cover shuts and leaves no trace of the pistol's real function. The hammer is then manually returned to the half-cock position, where the safety catch can be used to lock it and the steels. The left-hand hammer is a dummy, although the steel and safety catch are operational. Shaped watch movement of gilt brass with going barrel, cylinder escapement, plain brass three armbalance, flat balance spring. Signed: "F.R." and numbered on the singing bird and on the watch movements. Dim. 170 x 85 x 38 mm.