Important Watches, Collector's Wristw...

The Ritz-carlton Hotel, Jun 06, 2004

LOT 31

Setting The Birds Free J. Ullmann & Co, Chaux-de-Fonds, Hong Kong, Shanghai & Tientsin, No. 8041, circa 1890. Fine 18K gold and painted on enamel, pearl-set hunting-cased, keyless, minute repeating lady's pendant watch, made for Chinese market.

C. Four-body, 'Empire', spring-loaded front cover painted on enamel with two ladies opening a cage door to let the birds fly away, scarlet enamel background, back with portrait of a lady wearing a pearl necklace and a blue hair ribbon set with diamonds, against scarlet translucent enamel over engine-turning, bezels set with half pearls, gold hinged cuvette. D. White enamel, Roman chapters, outer minute ring, subsidiary sunk seconds dial. Gold ?Louis XV? hands. M. 34 mm (14'''), rhodium-plated, ?fausses-côtes? decoration, 17 jewels, straight-line lever escapement, cut bimetallic compensation balance, blued-steel Breguet balance spring, repeating on gongs by a slide on the band, lever-set.Diam. 39 mm.A watch with very similar portrait was in the Lord Sandberg Collection (Antiquorum, March 31, 2001, lot 89.)