Important Collectors Wristwatches, P...
Hong Kong,the Ritz Carlton Hotel,harbour Room, 3rd Floor, Jun 02, 2007
LOT 16
?Summer Bouquet? Bovet, Fleurier, No. 523. Made for the Chinese market, circa 1835. Very fine and extremely rare, 18K gold, painted on enamel and champlevé enamel, centerseconds pocket watch with damascened polished steel and gold movement with duplex escapement.
HKD 150,000 - 200,000
USD 20,000 - 26,000 / EUR 15,000 - 20,000
Sold: HKD 377,600
C. Two-body, the bezels, pendant and bow decorated with pink, red, blue and green champlevé enamel, the back panel painted with a fine composition of summer flowers on a pale lilac ground. Hinged gold cuvette with engraved foliate decoration. D. White enamel with radial Roman numerals, outer minutes/seconds divisions, Arabic quarter hour numerals. Blued steel "spade" hands. M. Blued steel and gold damascened with foliate decoration, "Chinese" caliber with mirror polished wheel train and bridges, standing barrel, jeweled single wheel duplex escapement, three-arm balance with wedge shaped blued steel weights, flat balance spring and index regulator. Movement signed. Diam. 58 mm. Property of an Oriental Gentleman
| Grading System | |
|---|---|
Grade: |
|
Case: 3 |
Good |
Movement: 3 |
Good |
Dial: 2-01 |
Very good HANDS Original |
Notes
Bovet A watchmaking dynasty founded by Edouard, Frédéric, Alphonse, Gustave, Charles-Henri, and Caroline Bovet, of Fleurier. In 1822, a Bovet partnership was founded for the Chinese watch trade in Canton. In 1840, Bovet Frères et Cie was established in Fleurier, and in 1864, the Bovet watch production was sold to Bovet?s manufacturing inspectors in Fleurier, Jules Jéquier and Ernest Bobillier, soon joined by Ami Leuba. In 1888, Bovet Frères was founded under the direction of Alexis Landry, who served his apprenticeship in Fritz Bovet?s workshop in Fleurier, producing ebauches for Chinese watches and silver cases. Alexis Landry formed a partnership with Albert and Jean Bovet, specializing in complicated watches and chronographs. In 1901, the Bovet trademark was acquired by César and Charles Leuba, sons of Ami Leuba. In 1918, Jacques Ullmann & Co. of La Chauxde- Fonds bought the Bovet brand from Leuba Brothers, and in 1948, Favre-Leuba took over the company and acquired the first production plant. In 1966 Favre-Leuba sold the Fleurier plant, and in 1989 Parmigiani acquired the Bovet name. A limited company registered as Bovet Fleurier S.A. was formed in 1990, using the Bovet trademark. In 1994, Roger Guye and a partner bought Bovet Fleurier S.A. and opened a branch in Geneva. Pascal Raffy became the majority shareholder and President in 2001. Today, Bovet timepieces are widely available in the world's major destinations. Eager to maintain its historical roots in the Far East, the company has subsidiaries in Hong Kong and Japan, and delivers its collection to select distributors in Singapore, Taiwan, the Middle East, Turkey, Russia, the United States, London, and Geneva.