Provenance: Eli Collection, sold at auction by Ineichen, Zurich, lst. June 1972, lot 130 Literature: A. Chapuis, Les Automates, Neuchatel, 1949, p. 188, fig. 213, 214, for a similar watch in the Sandoz Collection. The 'Moses 'automata has always been considered as one of the most important Swiss automaton watches. Although not musical, the complexity of movement required to make the scene operate in a series of delayed actions is a triumph of the watchmaker's skills. On this example, the sequence is as follows: Moses turns his head and audibly taps the rock three times with his staff ; the rock opens and water (simulated by a twisted glass rod ) flows; the two people below drink from their goblets; the rock closes, Moses returns his staff and head to their original position. This the only known example in which the head tuns, and represents an additional complication. The trains for the automata and the quarter-repeating are completely separate, despite both being wound by depressing the pendant. ; a lever in the band of the case engages the pump arm with whichever is required. Including the watch now offered for sale, five examples appear to have survived:1. Sandoz Collection, Chateau des Monts. 2. Beyer Museum, Zurich. 3. Time Museum, Rockford, Illinois. 4. Private Collection. 5. This Lot. All differ slightly in the enamelling, case form, size, and finish.