Important Collectors Watches, Pocket ...

Hong Kong, Jun 08, 2008

LOT 415

Andromache and Astyanax at Hector's Tomb Attributed to Piguet & Meylan, Geneva, No. 1485. Made for the Chinese market, circa 1825. Very fine and rare, 18K rose gold, champlevé and painted on enamel, pearl-set, quarter-repeating, center-seconds pocket watch.

HKD 300,000 - 380,000

USD 40,000 - 50,000 / EUR 25,000 - 30,000

Sold: HKD 336,000

C. Four-body, ?Empire?, No. 1486, mastermark DB in a lozenge, flat band decorated with sky-blue champlevé enamel, red translucent enamel lozenges and gold foliage, the pendant decorated to match, the back cover with a very finely painted on enamel scene depicting a classically dressed lady pointing at the inscription on a tomb to her son with a soldier behind, bezels, pendant and bow set with half pearls. Hinged gold cuvette finely decorated with champlevé enamel and chased gold basket of flowers. D. Silver, applied radial gold Roman numerals, outer minute track, outer dot seconds divisions, engraved rosette center. Blued steel lozenge hands. M. 43 mm, gilt brass, foliate engraved bridge caliber, standing barrel, cylinder escapement, three-arm plain brass balance, flat balance spring, index regulator, repeating on square-section gongs activated by depressing the pendant. Punch numbered on the pillar plate under the dial. Diam. 55 mm.


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Grading System
Grade: AAA

Excellent
Case: 3-61

Good
Movement: 3*

Good

Overhaul recommended, at buyer's expense
Dial: 3-36-01

Good

Partially re-gilt

HANDS Original

Notes

The present watch can confidently be attributed to Piguet & Meylan, the style and decoration of the movement and numbering series is typical of their watches. The fine enamel scene, with pronounced pointillist technique appears to be by the same hand and perhaps even part of the same series of enamels as that sold by Antiquorum, Geneva, November 12, 2006, lot 50. It probably depicts the scene of Andromache and Astyanax at Hector's tomb.
Andromache, the devoted wife of Hector, prince of Troy, was distraught when her husband died in the Trojan War. Hector and Andromache's son Astyanax was Troy's hope for the future. To insure he would never follow in his father's footsteps, he was killed by the Greeks.
Piguet & Meylan.
Both originally from the village of Le Chenit in the Vallée de Joux, Isaac Daniel Piguet (1775-1841) and Philippe Samuel Meylan (1772-1845) came to Geneva as young men, and formed a partnership which lasted from 1811 to 1828. The company specialized in elaborate and beautifully decorated musical watches, including skeleton and automaton watches, and mechanical animals. The firm was established at 45, rue Jean Jacques Rousseau in Geneva. After their association came to an end, both Piguet and Meylan continued for some time to work with their sons.