Important Collectors' Wristwatches, P...

Geneva, Hotel Noga Hilton, Oct 16, 2005

LOT 148

Attributed to Pierre Simon Gounouilhou, Geneva. Made circa 1820. Very fine 18K gold octagonal pearl-set ring watch with visible rose diamond-set balance.

CHF 8,000 - 12,000

EUR 5,000 - 8,000 / USD 6,500 - 10,000

Sold: CHF 12,650

C. Rectangular with canted corners, the top housing the watch, screwed pearl-set bezel, polished sliding panel at the bottom to reveal the winding, setting, and regulating holes, hinged shank with solid extended triangular ends. D. Rectangular with canted corners, translucent dark blue enamel plate decorated with gold scrolls, upper white enamel subsidiary seconds dial, aperture for the balance spinning against a polished blued steel plate, in the lower part small white unusually positioned enamel dial with Arabic numerals and outer minute divisions. Blued steel "spade" hands. M. 27 x 14 mm., brass, rectangular with canted corners, fixed barrel, cylinder escapement, plain diamond-set balance with five arms, flat balance spring. Dim. 31 x 18 mm.


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Grading System
Grade: AA

Very good
Case: 3-6

Good

Slightly oxidized
Movement: 3*

Good

Overhaul recommended, at buyer's expense
Dial: 3-25-01

Good

Chipped

HANDS Original

Notes

Pierre-Simon Gounouilhou (1779-1847). He was born in Bergerac en Dordogne, France, in 1779, and died in 1847 in Peissy, Satigny. A Master watchmaker, he was from a French Protestant family and came to Geneva as an apprentice in 1799, living at Quai Neuf en l?Isle, No. 241, and being received "bourgeois" in 1823. He began his career as a maker of automaton and musical objects and watches, including one representing a kitchen with Jaquemarts, ring watches with virgule escapement and quarter-repeating, and watches with cases using unusual decorative techniques such as granulation. Later, he produced more conventional repeating watches of slim design. The examples made shortly after his arrival in Geneva can be compared to the early work of Jacob Frisard and Isaac-Daniel Piguet (before the latter went into partnership with Meylan). He left very interesting shop notes with an abundance of information about the habits and customs of early 19th century Geneva watchmakers. His repute was so great that his shop lured some of the best of Geneva?s workers. One of them, Monsieur Pitt, was in turn induced in 1829 by Vacheron Constantin to upgrade their automaton watches and left Gounouilhou for them. His company name continued to be used after his death until 1870. ?Dictionnaire des horlogers genevois?, Osvaldo Patrizzi, Antiquorum Editions, Geneva, 1998.