Collector's Pocket Watches, Wristwatc...

Noga Hilton, Geneva, Apr 12, 2003

LOT 574

The TambourinePiguet et Meylan a Genève, No. 6733, enamel attributed to Adam, made for the Chinese market, circa 1820.Magnificent and extremely rare 18K gold and painted on enamel, graduated split-pearl- and turquoise-set center seconds musical watch with quarter-repeating, playing every hour or on demand.

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C. Four-body, "bassine", the back with a very fine enamel portrait of a young lady with tambourine over her head sitting in a meadow, classical rotunda in the background, graduated half-pearl frame of joined semicircles on azure enamel ground with translucent red enamel dots simulating rubies, band and bezels with double garlands of pearls with enamel rubies on azure enamel background, band set with nine turquoises, pendant in azure enamel, bow set with half-pearls, gold and enameled hinged cuvtte with opaque azure an translucent red enamel, small gold enameled table in the center with a telescope, geometrical instruments on each side, whole among gold scrolling and flower garlands very skillfully made in translucent red and green enamel resembling graduated rubies and emeralds, lever for music/silence, gold bolt at 6 o'clock for activating the music on demand.D. White enamel, radial Roman numerals, outer minute track, outermost seconds divided into fourths. Blued steel "diamond" hands. M. 45.7 mm. (20'''), frosted gilt, fixed barrels, cylinder escapement, three-arm gold balance with flat balance spring, pinned disc sur plateau musical mechanism with 22 tuned vibrating blades working on both sides of the disc, repeating on gongs by depressing the pendant.Punched with the makers' trademark on the movement under the dial, numbered on the movement and the case.Diam. 57 mm.


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Grading System
Grade:
Case: 3
Movement: 3*
Dial: 3 - 01

Notes

The watch is remarkable in its lavish decoration and in the fact that the"bassine" form was used instead of usual "Empire" for the case. It allowed the artist to continue the pattern elegantly from the back of the case to the front giving a very pleasing impression. Piguet et Meylan began using the "bassine" form for their watches in the late 1810's, which corresponds to serial numbers in the high 5000's. They continued using the "Empire" form to the end but for special pieces they used the "bssine" form.The watch is also preserved in remarkably good condition, which is not always the case with watches for the Chinese market, which were often kept in very unfavorable conditions.Piguet & MeylanIsaac Daniel Piguet and Philippe Samuel Meylan were in partnership from 1811 to 1828. Before 1828 their premises were 45, rue Rousseau in Geneva.Philippe Samuel MeylanBorn February 15, 1772, in Bas-du-Chenit,he died in 1845. At 20 years old he came to Geneva where he worked for the Godemar Frères as quality of Master worker. Afterwards he went back to Brassus where he founded a little factory in 1811. He then returned to Geneva where he finally settled. He met another watchmaker from his own village, Isaac Piguet, with whom he entered into partnership, founding the Piguet & Meylan firm, which lasted from 1811 to 1828. It specialised in minute cadratures, musial watches, skeleton or automaton watches, mechanical animals and figures, he is also credited with the invention of the bagnolet caliber.Isaac Daniel PiguetBorn in Chenit in 1775, he died in Geneva in 1841. A very skillful watchmaker, he entered into partnership first with Henry Capt, from 1802 to 1811, then with Samuel Philippe Meylan (from 1811 to 1828), another watchmaker from the same village. Their works were signed or marked PM within a lozenge. After 1828, he continued his business with his son, either under the name of Piguet & Fils, or under that of I. D. Piguet & Cie. Their creations were for a large part made for the Chinese Market.For a biography of Adam, see previous lot.