Exceptional Horological Sale Celebrat...

Hotel Noga Hilton, Geneva, Apr 24, 2004

LOT 112

Lepine, Horloger de l?Impératrice à Paris, No. 6198, circa 1805. An exceptional 20K gold and enamel, diamond-set médaillon montre à tact

CHF 40,000 - 60,000

EUR 25,000 - 60,000 / USD 31,000 - 47,000

C. Four-body, ?forme collier? by master case maker Tav-ernier, No. 2480, both covers with azure enamel with finely reeded edges, revolving back cover with silver à tact arrow set with rose-cut diamonds, the band in en suite enamel set with 12 rose diamond touch pieces alternating with gold trefoils, short pendant with loose bow, gold cuvette with apertures for the dial, setting and winding.D. Small eccentric silver, champlevé Breguet numerals. Blued-steel Breguet hands.M. 34 mm, gilt brass bridge caliber with standing barrel, virgule escapement with brass escape wheel, gilt monometallic three-arm jeweled balance with flat blued-steel balance spring.Signed on case and movement.Diam. 39 mm.


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Grading System
Grade:
Case: 3

Good
Movement: 3*

Good

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

Notes

This is one of the extremely rare and beautiful médaillon montres à tact made by Lépine. They were in fashion at the beginning of the 19th century, and were produced by Breguet, Lepine, and LeRoy. It appears that it was Breguet who first made them, in the spring of 1799, the first one being sold to Madame Bettancourt, the wife of Breguet?s most trusted friend. When looking through Breguet records (those of Lepine have not survived) one notes that these enameled, diamond-set "médaillon montres à tact" are among his most expensive watches. The watch is illustrated and described in "Jean-Antoine Lepine, horloger (1720-1814)" by Adolphe Chapiro, Paris, 1988, pp. 94, 153. The "à tact" feature was often used when the owner wanted to discreetly check the time.