Important Modern and Vintage Timepieces

Hong Kong, Jan 26, 2013

LOT 254

FAREWELL TO THE BELOVED GOLD POCKET WATCH Farewell to the Beloved, Swiss, Geneva, movement No. 1830, No. 5220. Made for the Chinese market circa 1830, and attributed to the Frères Oltramare. Extremely fine and very rare, and painted on enamel, pearl-set center seconds, musical, quarterrepeating pocket watches playing music on the hour or at will. To be sold without reserve

HKD 250,000 - 420,000

USD 33,000 - 55,000 / EUR 24,000 - 40,000

Sold: HKD 524,000

C. Four-body, ?Empire?, the back with a very finely painted on enamel scene of two ladies in despair as a young man goes off to serve his country, split pearl-set bezels, engine-turned band, bolt at 6 o?clock to activate the music, lever at 4 o?clock protruding from under the cuvette for music/silent. Hinged gold cuvette. D. Gold, champlevé radial Roman numerals, outer minute divisions, acanthus engraved decoration between the numerals, engine-turned center and outermost border. Blued steel serpentine hands. M. 44 mm., gilt brass, fixed going barrel, cylinder escapement, three-arm plain brass balance with blued steel flat balance spring, sur plateau musical movement with fixed barrel, 21 vibrating teeth, repeating on gongs activated by depressing the pendant. Diam. 53 mm.


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Grading System
Grade: AAA

Excellent
Case: 2-76

Very good

ENAMEL AND VARIOUS TYPES OF DECORATION Restored hard enamel
Movement: 3-29*

Good

Lacking elements

Overhaul recommended, at buyer's expense
Dial: 2-01

Very good

HANDS Original

Notes

Frères Oltramare Originally from Genova, the family settled in Geneva in the 17th century. Branches of the family were engaged in the watchmaking trade by the second half of the 18th century. The watchmaker Pierre Oltramare (1753-1827) had apprenticed under the ?maître horloger? Jean Pattey of Passiery in 1768. The mark of F.O. is that of Louis-David-Benjamin and Jean Hughes. Both trained as ?monteur de boites en or?, makers of gold watch cases. They worked together in an informal association and later entered a maker?s mark as the Frères Oltramare between 1810 and 1811. When Geneva was liberted from French occupation they re-registered the same mark on November 4th, 1815, their workshop was at rue de Coutance 82. The two brothers ended their partnership on March 31, 1826.