Although the signature on the watch bears the French origin, the case is unmistakably Geneva because of the quality of the design. This kind of watch was a Genevan specialty; Pierre I Huaud was a French enameler who had emigrated to Geneva. For a similar watch made by a French watchmaker to the King, who also used Genevan enamelers, see Antiquorum, New York, April 26, 2001, lot 278. Paul Vallette He is recorded as having been a watchmaker in Geneva toward the middle of the 17th century. Pierre Huaud I (1612 -1680) Son of a French goldsmith who imigrated to Geneva in 1630, Pierre Huault I was therefore 18 when he arrived in Geneva as a Huguenot refugee from Blois where he had been apprenticed. The same year he arrived in Geneva, he was apprenticed to Laurent Legare, Master goldsmith, becoming Journeyman in 1634 and later Master goldsmith. He married in 1643 and had three sons, Pierre II (1647-1698), Jean-Pierre (1655-1725) and Ami (1657-1724), who were all talented painters on enamel. In 1671, Pierre I and his three sons were made "bourgeois" of the city of Geneva. Pierre I used the techniques he had learnt in Blois from the great French masters as well as a technique of painting in "pointillé". He formed Jean I André in 1661 and Isaac Gastineau from 1659 to 1671. There are very few signed examples of Pierre Huaud I's work. Unsigned pieces can be attributed to his hand by comparing elements and techniques that he used on the surviving signed pieces. A synopsis of the techniques employed by Pierre I would include the following: a) small flowers as minor or major decoration, always with orange examples - apparently never used by the sons. b) translucent green or blue enamel over a flinqué ground - apparently never used by the sons. c) champlevé opaque or translucent enamel within an engraved field - apparently never used by the sons. d) Frequent use of a vivid orange pigment - rarely used by the younger sons, but occasionally by Pierre II. e) Occasional use of en plein enamel - used very infrequently by Pierre II. f) Use of turquoise enamel as a ground colour - occassionally used by the sons. “Dictionnaire des Horlogers Genevois”, by Osvaldo Patrizzi, Antiquorum Editions, 1998. Additional Information The existence of a watch bearing the signature of a watchmaker from Montpellier and a portrait of the reigning Monarch raises some interesting questions. During the religious wars of the 16th/ 17th centuries in France, the town was a stronghold of the Protestants, who captured it in 1567, and it only returned with finality to the Crown under Louis XIII in 1622 after a siege of 8 months. An undoubted consequence of the failed revolt would have been the departure into exile of a proportion of the largely Protestant merchants and craftsmen. However, his successor Louis XIV did not choose to penalize the town, apparently preferring to instill loyalty through bestowing upon it an enhanced status. The Hôpital Général, dedicated to the local poor, was built between 1662 and 1682 by direct command of the King. The Arc de Triomphe in the town was constructed in the King's honor in 1691-2, and a large equestrian statue of Louis XIV, designed by Mazeline and Hurtrelle was erected in the Place du Peyrou. The Bourgeoisie would have had reason to honor their monarch. Although the only reference so far discovered to a watchmaker named Paul Vallette cites his residence as Geneva in the first half of the 17th century, there is record of a Valette(sic) in Nimes, approximately 60 kilometers away, in 1666. Since the spelling of names was by no means consistent at the time, it is very likely that they were members of the same family, if not the same person. Were Vallette to have fled to Geneva following the subjugation of Montpellier, he would have been ideally placed to work with other émigré watchmakers and enamelers, most notably in this case, Pierre Huaud le Père, also a refugee. The significance of the monogram ML entwined on the back of the outer case is not immediately clear. The title of Monseigneur was applied to the Dauphin of France from the reign of Louis XIV, and indeed the King's son, who died before his father, was known as le Grand Dauphin, Louis de France (1661 - 1711). If the initials relate directly to the crown, then the watch would have to have been made in homage to the new Prince, since its date of circa 1660 coincides closely with his birth date. It is perhaps interesting to note that this watch appears to be the only known surviving 'portrait' attributable to Pierre Huaud le Père.