Exceptional Horological Sale Celebrat...
Hotel Noga Hilton, Geneva, Apr 24, 2004
LOT 328
Swiss, circa 1800, made for the Austro-Hungarian market. Interesting and unusual silver watch with glass bead decoration, commemorating early Montgolfière flights.
CHF 2,700 - 3,700
EUR 1,700 - 2,300 / USD 2,100 - 2,900
Sold: CHF 2,530
C. Two-body, by "JBF", Louis XVI, decorated with multicolored glass beads with a Montgolfière on the back, birds flying around, underneath with "I.
| Grading System | |
|---|---|
Grade: AA |
Very good |
Case: 3 |
Good |
Movement: 3* |
Good Overhaul recommended, at buyer's expense |
Dial: 3 - 14 - 01 |
Notes
The present lots feature watches commemorating the first hot-air balloon flight by the Montgolfier brothers. In June 1783, the Montgolfiers made the first public demonstration of a model hot-air balloon and in September of that year - in the presence of King Louis XVI and Marie Antoinette - they successfully flew a balloon - carrying a sheep, a duck and a cockerel-to demonstrate that it was possible to survive in the sky. Watches depicting this subject are rare.