Important Watches, Wristwatches and C...

Geneva, Hotel Des Bergues, Apr 25, 1993

LOT 174

Piguet & Meylan, No. 856, Swiss, circa 1820, the enamel by J.F. Dupont. Very rare and fine gold, enamel and pearl set musical watch with quarter-repeating, made for the European market.

CHF 130,000 - 150,000

Sold: CHF 160,250

C. Band set with split seed pearls flanked by blue lines, the pendant and bow en suite, bezels with leaf pattern enamelled in alternate blue and red with similar seed pearl set bezels, back panel painted by Dupont with a scene of a shepherd with a young lady being instructed by an eider ( very small repair to edge). Polished gold hinged cuvette. D. Engine-turned gold, the centre partially enamelled with a young girl playing a harp. Circular chapter plaques of white enamel with Arabic hour numerals, blue enamel half hour divisions, outer white enamel minute ring. Blued-steel moon hands. M. GiIt three quarter plate with standing barrels, the going train with cylinder escapement, plain 3-arm balance, flat spring with regulator, disc musical train with 24 individually mounted teeth playing on both sides of the disc on the hour or at will. Push pendant quarterrepeating on two polished steel gongs. Signed with initiais on movement front plate. In very good condition. Diam. 62mnm.


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Notes

A virtually identical treatment of the same subject but in reverse can be seen on a watch back plaque signed by Dupont and currently in a private collection. Jean-Francois-Victor Dupont, 1785-1863, probably the finest painter in enamel of his age working in Geneva. His work included portraits of distinguished personages ( King George IV, Henry VI etc..) as well as boxes and particularly watches destined for the Chinese market. For the latter he cooperated frequently with Ilbery as well as Piguet & Meylan. A particular feature of his work was his ability to paint a group of figures posed in the same plane without giving an impression of overcrowding: The distinctive palette may well derive from the fact that he mixed his own colours. This watch is particularly rare being made for the European market as denoted by the typically European style dial and the abscence of the almost mandatory centre seconds hand fitted on export market watches.