The Sandberg Watch Collection

Hotel Richemond, Geneva, Mar 31, 2001

LOT 221

An Allegory of Mathematics.Unsigned, probably Geneva, circa 1785.Very fine and rare 18 ct. gold and enamel, diamond- and pearl-set, double-face watch with visible balance, 'diablotine' and date.

C. Two-body, 'Louis XVI', back with central aperture for the 'diablotine' framed in gold with a champlevé enamel laurel leaf wreath, surrounded by a finely painted enamel allegorical scene in which Cupid appears to be learning: the garland of flowers possibly denotes Logic, the Trumpet Music and also Fame, the globe and instruments' Geometry, Arithmetic, Astronomy, and, together with a nautical background, Geography. The bezels with enamelled floral decoration, the pendant and two push buttons st with diamonds, bow with pearls. D. Blue enamel centred with an aperture for diamond-set balance, four subsidiary white enamel dials, the top with radial Roman hour chapters and minutes with five-minute Arabic numerals, at the right a dial for the day of the month, at the bottom a dial for the regulator, and subsidiary seconds to the left, the subsidiary dials separated by applied diamond-set fleur de lis decoration. The back with small white enamel dial with quarter second jumping 'diablotine'hand. 'Beetle and poker' hands, M. Hinged, gilt brass full plate, turned baluster pillars, going barrel, cylinder escapement, blued-steel flat balance spring, small brass cock protruding through the dial.Diam. 43 mm o. Published in the Sandberg book, pages 150-151.