Important Watches

Geneva, Mar 20, 2010

LOT 291

C. Barbezat-Baillot, Locle The Country Musicians C. Barbezat-Baillot, Le Locle-Suisse, Le Phare, "Repetion Heures Quarts Automates". Made for the Russian market, circa 1890. Fine and rare, large, minute-repeating, 14K gold and painted on enamel, keyless, pocket watch with automaton jacks.

C. Four-body, ?bassine et filets?, polished. Hinged gold cuvette engraved with technical details and prize medals. Glazed gold-rimmed cover to view the movement. D. Small opalescent guilloche enamel, Islamic numerals, outer gold paillon minute divisions, subsidiary seconds, flanked by polychrome painted on enamel country musicians repeating hours, quarters, and minutes on a triangle and tambourine, three further polychrome musicians above, pastoral trophy below, the whole on a blued steel plate. Blued steel feuille hands. M. 44 mm (20???), rhodium-plated, 21 jewels, straight-line lever escapement, cut-bimetallic compensation balance with blued steel Breguet balance spring, index regulator, repeating on gongs activated by a push button in the band, centrifugal governor. Cuvette signed. Diam. 59 mm.