Important Collectors’ Wristwatches, P...

Geneva, Mandarin Oriental Hotel Du Rhône, May 13, 2007

LOT 172

?Mysterieuse? Attributed to Jean Eugène Robert-Houdin, Paris, retailed by Promoli et Hausbourg a Paris. Made circa 1865. Fine and rare, glass-dialed, gilded bronze, eight-day going, hour and half-hour striking mystery clock.

CHF 8,000 - 10,000

EUR 5,000 - 6,000 / USD 6,500 - 8,000

Sold: CHF 11,210

C. Top with Y-shaped frame holding the dial raised on a foliate pedestal decorated with applied ormolu scrolling, waisted pedestal with cast foliate and scroll mounts and female mask in the center, the whole standing on gessoed gilt wood and ebonised base. D. Glass with painted radial Roman numerals, inner five-minute and quarter-hour track. Single gilt arrow hand. M. Brass, Paris type, going barrels, anchor escapement, silk suspension, pendulum with brass bob, count wheel set on the back plate, striking the hours and half-hours on an underslung bell. Dim. Height 47 cm, width 18.5 cm. Property of an Swiss collector


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Grading System
Grade: AA

Very good
Case: 3

Good
Movement: 3*

Good

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

Good

HANDS Original

Notes

Jean Eugene Robert-Houdin (1805 - 1871) was an inventor, horologist and the most famous magician of his day. His father, a watchmaker, wanted his son to enter the legal profession, but Jean Eugene's passion for horology clearly outweighed his interest in law. After his father?s retirement, his business was taken over by Jean Eugene's cousin, Jean Martin Robert, for whom he went to work. In 1830, Jean Eugene married Josephe Cécile Eglantine Houdin, the daughter of Jacques- Francois Houdin, an eminent horologist and pupil of Breguet. After the marriage, Jean Eugene Robert changed his name to Robert-Houdin. Robert-Houdin invented several new mechanisms and devices, which won for him great acclaim. He won a gold medal at the Universal Exhibition of 1844 for his horological pieces and automata. Among the pieces displayed was his 'Writer-Draughtsman', admired by King Louis-Philippe. In 1845, Robert-Houdin inaugurated his 'Soirees Fantastiques' in Paris? Palais Royal. These were a great success for many years and continued even after his death. In 1848, Robert-Houdin held performances at the St. James's Theatre, London and took part in a charity show before Queen Victoria, Napoleon III, and other illustious guests. The Queen was so impressed that she commanded a special performance at Buckingham Palace. In 1855, Robert-Houdin showed seven of his inventions at the Universal Exhibition. Robert-Houdin was rewarded eleven times by the Academy of Sciences, who elected him a posthumous member. He inspired later generations, not least the firm of Cartier, who took Robert-Houdin's mystery clocks one step further, combining the art of illusion with fantastic decoration. His own Mystery Clocks can be divided into seven basic types. The present one belongs to the second series, which was invented around 1837. When it was first exhibited in 1838, the clock elicited great interest and speculation among experienced horologists, who wondered how it ran. Interestingly, one of his letters mentions the three-glass idea, used many years later in Cartier clocks. In fact, the clock has a clever means of transmitting the power to the gear. Bibliography: ?Mystery, Novelty and Fantasy Clocks? by Derek Roberts, Atglen, 1999. ?Memories of Robert-Houdin, King of Conjurers?, with introduction and notes by Milbourne Christopher, New York, 1964. Continued on the opposite page