Important Collectors' Wristwatches, P...

Geneva, Hotel Noga Hilton, Oct 16, 2005

LOT 58

Swiss. Made circa 1820. Fine and very rare, 18K gold hour musical clockwatch with automaton and repeating.

C. Three-body, ?Empire?, polished bezel, reeded band, the back engine-turned with a sunburst pattern and polished border. Hinged gilt metal cuvette. D. White enamel annular chapter ring with Breguet numerals, outer minute indexes, glazed engineturned silver centre with an applied varicoloured gold automaton scene: a lady playing the guitar, her arm driven by the musical train and a cupid driven by the repeating train, appearing to strike the hours on a bell. Blued steel Breguet hands. M. 46 mm., gilt brass, full-plate, the going train with fixed barrel and revolving arbour, cylinder escapement, plain brass three-arm balance, flat balance spring with index regulator. Pinned disc musical train also driving the automaton lady playing the guitar, striking train with fixed barrel, striking and repeating the hours and half-hours on a gong, also activated at will by a button on the pendant, striking work on the backplate. Diam. 55 mm.