Exceptional horologic works of art

Hotel Noga Hilton, Geneva, Oct 11, 2003

LOT 79

Flora. Gustave Baugrand, 19 Rue de la Paix, Paris, circa 1865. Beautiful and very rare 18K gold and painted on enamel half-hunting, keyless fob watch with matching diamond-set chatelaine from a small series of fob watches presented at the 1867 Paris International Exhibition.

C. Four-body, "bassine et filets", the back very finely painted on enamel depicting a young woman perhaps representing Flora, surrounded by an arch and polychrome cornucopias and flower vases, the whole against a black enamel ground painted with gold dots in a pointillistic effect, the front with gold Roman numerals in blue cartouches with painted rose fleur-de-lis, the whole on a black ground en suite with the back cover painted with gold dots, the band painted with a repeated floral pattern, diamond-set bow, gold hinged cuvette. Fob: made of three links joined by seven tapered pivoted gold bars with champlevé azure enamel, the top panel painted with a nymph reclining under a baldachin, the middle one with a mask, and the lower one with scrolls, all with en suite black enamel background with gold dots, each one with a diamond-set frame, the top surmounted by a diamond-set half rosette. D. White enamel, radial Roman numerals, outer minute track with five-minute red Arabic markers. Gold "Louis XV" hands. M. 22 mm. (10'''), frosted gilt, 11 jewels, cylinder escapement, three-arm gilt balance with flat balance spring.Signed on dial and case.Dim: Length 110 mm, diam. 28 mm.