Important Modern & Vintage Timepieces
Hong Kong, May 31, 2025
LOT 80
UNSIGNED, QUATER-REPEATING MUSICAL, POCKET WATCH, ENAMEL PAINTING, PEARL, 18K PINK GOLD
HKD 600,000 - 800,000
EUR 69,000 - 92,000 / CHF 65,000 - 86,000 / USD 78,000 - 104,000TO BE SOLD WITHOUT RESERVE
A The enamel is attributed to Jean-Louis Richter, Geneva. Made circa 1820s. An extremely fine and very rare, large, 18K pink gold, two-train, musical and quarter-repeating, pearl-set pocket watch with sur-plateau musical movement playing on the hour or at will, movement attributed to P&M. Featuring enamel painting of poets at a temple and a riverside ceremony depicting traditional worship customs. The numbered hinged gilt brass cuvette with apertures for winding and music movement winding, with a Silence/Musique lever protruding at the edge.
| Grading System | |
|---|---|
Grade: |
|
Case: 3-8 |
Good Slightly scratched |
Movement: 3* |
Good Overhaul recommended, at buyer's expense |
Dial: 2-8-01 |
Very good Slightly scratched HANDS Original |
Brand Unsigned
Model Quater-Repeating Musical
Year circa 1820s
Case No. 9936
Diameter 58
Weight 164gr. (approx.)
Notes
The watch features a white enamel ring dial with Roman numerals. At its center, the watch features an enamel painting that possibly pays tribute to the legendary Chinese poet Qu Yuan. The miniature artwork portrays the poet accompanied by two servants, one bearing a wooden stick. Behind them is a three-storey temple structure, its architecture meticulously rendered to evoke the sacred Qu Yuan Temple constructed in the 1790s.
The caseback showcases an enamel painting depicting a riverside Dragon Boat Festival (端午節 Duanwu) worship in ancient China. In this scene, three of ficals and a teenage boy are shown with firecrackers—a distinctive North Chinese tradition during the festival to honor the memory of Qu Yuan and ward off disease. Three women wearing jewelry, three monks in traditional robes and three musicians playing ceremonial instruments complete this culturally significant tableau, capturing the essence of this few centuries-old commemorations.
Dragon Boat Festival (端午節 Duanwu), observed on the fifth day of the fifth lunar month, honors poet Qu Yuan who drowned himself in 278 BCE. Villagers raced boats to recover his body, beat drums to repel evil spirits, and threw rice dumplings (zongzi) into the water to protect his remains. This period was considered the «toxic month» in ancient China, with heightened disease risk. Protective traditions vary regionally: Northern provinces use firecrackers and eat peaches to avoid misfortune, while the Jiangnan region consumes ‘‘five kinds of yellow food’’.
Qu Yuan (340-278 BCE), China’s celebrated poet and loyal minister during the Warring States period, chose exile when corrupt of ficials turned his king against him. After Chu’s defeat, he drowned himself in the Miluo River rather than compromise his principles. His sacrifice inspired the Dragon Boat Festival. His unwavering integrity also moved emperors across dynasties to build temples honoring him, primarily in Hubei and Hunan provinces.