The Sandberg Watch Collection

Hotel Richemond, Geneva, Mar 31, 2001

LOT 365

King Arthur and Emmeline.Piguet & Meylan, No. 4902, circa 1820.Very fine and rare 18 ct. gold and enamel pearl-set two-train hour-striking and repeating musical watch with centre seconds, made for the Chinese market.

CHF 20,000 - 30,000

USD 12,000 - 18,000

Sold: CHF 25,300

C. Four-body, 'Empire', the back cover finely painted enamel with a scene depicting King Arthur and Emmeline holding a mirror belonging to her attendant Matilda, in which she sees King Arthur's reflection, the band in azure champlevé enamel with gold foliage, the bezels and bow set with half pearls, the pendant in translucent dark blue enamel with a gold geometrical pattern, gold hinged cuvette decorated with flowers in blue champlevé enamel. D. White enamel, Roman hour chapters, outer minute anfifth-second divisions with fifteen-minute/seconds Arabic numerals. Blued-steel 'serpent' hands. M. 46.5 mm o, gilt brass bridge calibre, fixed barrel, cylinder escapement, gold balance, flat balance spring, music with revolving disc with pins on both sides playing on 22 tuned teeth arranged in a fan-shape, playing on the hour and on demand, bolt at 1 o'clock for activating the music, silent/music lever at 11 o'clock protruding through the edge of the cuvette.Stamped with Piguet Lot Meylan mark on the movement.Diam. 55 mm. Published in the Sandberg book, pages 324-325.


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Grading System
Grade: AAA

Excellent
Case: 3 - 18 - 22
Movement: 3*

Good

Overhaul recommended, at buyer's expense
Dial: 3 - 01

Notes

The scene is from the third act of the 1691 comic opera 'King Arthur and the British Worthy' by John Dryden with music by Henry Purcell. An adaptation in the 1780s at the Theatre Royal, Drury Lane, was billed as 'An Entertainment consisting of Dialogue Music and Machinery called Arthur and Emmeline', and this appears to be the inspiration for the engraving by P.W. Tomkins after Charles Ansell that was published in 1787.See lot 431 for a similar scene and a reproduction of the original engraving.For history of the company see note to lot No. 213.