Collector's Pocket Watches, Wristwatc...

Noga Hilton, Geneva, Apr 12, 2003

LOT 568

Barking Dog with CatJ.D. Piguet & P. Meylan, Geneva, No. 282, made for the Chinese market, circa 1820.Very rare and very small 18K gold pearl-set quarter-repeating "barking dog" automaton watch.

CHF 60,000 - 80,000

EUR 41,000 - 55,000 / USD 44,000 - 60,000

Sold: CHF 69,000

C .Four-body, "Empire", band and bezels set with half-pearls, back replaced by a glass, showing the cuvette decoration with champlevé enamel, gold hinged cuvette in polychrome champlevé enamel with musical trophies, pearl-set pendant, bow with translucent green enamel, aperture for the sound at six o'clock, opening automatically when barking is activated.D. Eccentric, set at the top of translucent Imperial blue enamel engine-turned plate, white enamel, Breguet numerals, outer minute divisions. Gold "lozenge" hands. Lower part with applied varicolored gold and silver automaton scene of a dog barking at a cat, the dog moving its head with each movement of the bellows, the whole on applied gold grass with a tree behind.M. 31.6 mm. (14'''), gilt brass half plate, free-standing barrel, cylinder escapement, brass escape wheel, three-arm gold balance, flat balance spring. The repeating barking mechanism with a round bellows and whistle is activated by depressing the pendant.Punched on the movement and inside the cuvette with maker's trademark and serial number.Diam. 39.5 mm.


LOADING IMAGES
Click to full view
Image
Grading System
Grade: AAA

Excellent
Case: 3 - 13
Movement: 3*
Dial: 3 - 23 - 01

Notes

The watch repeats the hours and quarters with the sound of a barking dog, the rarest form of repeating. There are only about 20 of them known, of which the majority are after Jean-Baptiste Oudry's painting "Dog Attacked by a Swan". The present watch with the more realistic scene of a dog barking at a cat, is extremely rare. Additionally, the majority of barking dog watches are based on 44 or 45 mm. movements (20'''), while this one is only 14'''. We know of only one other watch like this one, wich may in fact be its pendant.For a biography of Piguet & Meylan, see lot 574.