Exceptional Horological Works of Art

Geneva, Oct 19, 2002

LOT 138

Attributable to Freres Rochat, Geneva, circa 1815. Very rare and exceptional 18K gold and enamel singing bird watch.

CHF 1 - 1

EUR 1 - 1

C. Three-body, massive, back centered with aperture for the bird cover of chased and engraved gold depicting a bird perched on a branch of a blossoming tree, translucent dark blue enamel frame with gold scrolling decoration, border with azure and scarlet enamel in geometrical pattern with gold acanthus leaves, reeded bezels, band with rhomboidal pattern of blue enamel alternating with azure circles on matted gold ground, bezel with translucent dark blue enamel and gold scrolling motifs. D. White enamel, Breguet numerals, outer minute track, winding aperture at 11 o?clock. Blued steel Breguet hands. M. 56 mm., gilt brass, full plate, both the going train and singing bird train driven from the same going barrel, cylinder escapement, three-arm gold balance with flat balance spring. Singing bird movement: six cams controlling all movements except the swiveling of the bird and the bellows, turning by a cam set on the back plate on the extension of the same arbor, bellows by the eccentric drive of the extension of the last wheel before the fly governor, the bird swivels, moves tail, flaps wings, opens beak, circular bellows Diam. 66 mm.


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Grading System
Grade:
Case: 3 - 30
Movement: 3*

Good

Overhaul recommended, at buyer's expense
Dial: 3 - 22 - 01

Notes

For a biography of Frères Rochat, see lot 46. Fascination with automated singing birds can be traced to before the 18th century when the bird's singing was achieved by means of organ pipes as in the serinettes used to teach canaries to sing. Pierre Jaquet-Droz was the first to introduce the piston whistle to modulate the song, which allowed the miniaturization of the mechanism. It also gave a better control of modulation of the notes. He introduced a cam system in which the modulation of the sound was almost entirely dependent on the shape of the cam, relatively easy to adjust or replace if needed. In the old system, to make tune adjustment one had to change the effective lengths of the pipes, a very tedious process. The singing bird watches that have survived are very rare. Four types of singing bird watches are known: ? With the singing bird rising from the middle of the watch to begin its song. ? With the singing bird springing out of the band to begin its song. ? With the bird perched on a branch above the dial. ? One with a very small bird in a cage, applied to the dial plate, however the bird does not really sing, but rather chirps. The present watch employs an unusual mechanism driving both the watch as well as the singing bird movement from the same barrel. It is an unusual and innovative idea, making the watch fully functional with just a single winding. In earlier singing bird watches the bird mechanism had to be wound every time the bird was to pop up. It appears that during this period the Rochats worked hard on the simplification of existing designs. This one exemplifies one of them; another ingenious modification can be found in the singing bird pistols (lot No. 45). The watch is very similar to the one in the Fitzwilliam Museum in Cambridge, signed Hilaire Bassereau. Only eight pocket watches with rising singing bird are known: 1. This one, 2. One in the Patek Philippe Museum, formerly in the Time Museum, 3. One in the Fitzwilliam Museum, Cambridge, 4. One in a private Hong Kong Collection, 5. Four in a private European Collection. In addition three are known with a bird set permanently on the dial: 1. One sold in Antiquorum "The Art of Horology" sale in Geneva, November 13, 1999, lot No. 66, 2. One in the Sandoz Collection, previously in the Gustave Loup Collection, 3. One in the Lord Sandberg Collection, now in the Jaquet Droz Museum, sold by Antiquorum on March 31, 2001, lot 423. Literature: "Le Monde des Automates", Alfred Chapuis, Edouard Gélis, Paris, 1928, p.122. "Les Automates", Alfred Chapuis, Edmond Droz, Neuchâtel, p. 208.