Important Modern & Vintage Timepieces

Geneva, Mar 17, 2013

LOT 412

OUDIN ? TRIPLE DATE CALENDAR & MOON PHASE ?PORTRAIT OF TSAR ALEXANDER II? Charles Oudin, H.er de la Marine Imperiale, Fournisseur de sa Sainteté, Her de S.M. L?Imperatrice, Palais Royal 52, Paris, No. 18070. Made circa 1865. Extremely fine and very rare, 18K gold, painted and champleve enamel, keyless pocket watch with triple date calendar with ?digital? months, moon phase, lunar calendar and gold wheel train.

CHF 10,000 - 15,000

USD 11,000 - 16,000 / EUR 8,000 - 12,000

Sold: CHF 25,000

C. Four-body, bassine et filets, polished, correctors in the band, the back cover with a finely enamelled oval portrait of the Russian Tsar Alexander II, the outer border decorated with gold foliage and white champleve enamel flowers on a black champleve enamel ground. Hinged gold cuvette. D. White enamel with radial Roman numerals, outer minute track with Arabic five-minute numerals, subsidiary dials for the date and days of the week, apertures for the months and moon phases with lunar calendar on the edge. Gold spade hands. M. 19???, matte gilt, 17 jewels, wolf ?s tooth winding, gold wheel train, straight line lever escapement, cut bimetallic compensation balance with gold timing screws, blued steel Breguet balance spring, index regulator. Dial, cuvette and movement signed. DIAM. 50 mm.


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Grading System
Grade: AAA

Excellent
Case: 2

Very good
Movement: 2*

Very good

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

Good

HANDS Original

Notes

CHARLES OUDIN Born in Clermont in 1772. He was a pupil of Breguet and one of his best foremen. He devised a way of fitting equation of time to souscription watches. Oudin was in business on his own in the Galerie de Pierre, Palais Royal, from circa 1804 to 1825, and was then succeeded by his son, who transferred the firm to Galerie Montpensier, 1830-1840, and subsequently took Détouche into partnership. A. Charpentier was the successor to Oudin Fils, using the signature: Charles Oudin à Paris, Horloger de L.L. M.M., l?Empereur et l?Impératrice de Russie. To accompany the display at the 1862 Exhibition in London, Oudin-Charpentier produced a book entitled: ?Catalogue of Chief Exhibits by Oudin-Charpentier, principal clockmaker to their Majesties The Queen and King of Spain and to the Imperial Navy?. Oudin-Charpentier was made official watchmaker of the French Navy: a mosaic which still exists today, at No. 52 Place du Palais Royal, bears witness to his title ?Horloger de la Marine Nationale?. Considering the quality of his work, it is surprising that so little is recorded about his life. The Oudin Company perpetuated the Breguet tradition
ALEXANDER II OF RUSSIA (1818-1881) Also known as Alexander the Liberator, he was Tsar of Russia from March 1855 until his assassination in 1881. Alexander was also King of Poland and Grand Prince of Finland. He is known to posterity as a leader able to implement the most challenging reforms undertaken in Russia since the time of Peter the Great.
This fine watch was perhaps made for presentation by Alexander II and would certainly have been extremely expensive when new. The portrait of the Tsar in the manner of Pavel Rizzoni is finely executed and in very good condition