Antiquorum in Love, Impotant Horology...

Geneva, Hotel Des Bergues, Nov 16, 1997

LOT 52

Piguet Meylan, Geneva, circa 1820. Le missionnaire» Fine and rare 18K gold, quarter repeating, musical watch with a concealed enamelled erotic automaton scene.

CHF 35,000 - 40,000

USD 24,000 - 27,500

Sold: CHF 50,255

C. Three body, Empire with reeded band and engineturned back. Hinged gilt brass cuvette. Very fine automaton scene concealed beneath the cuvette. Applied to a gold enamelled panel depicting a boudoir, a gold automaton couple executed in multicoloured gold and driven by the musical train, are devoting themselves to basic reality. D. White enamel with Breguet numerals. Blued steel Breguet hands. M. Gilt brass going barrel, inverted cylinder escapement with plain brass three-arm balance and flat balance spring. Pin disc musical train playing on the hour or at will, with comb of 29 teeth, grouped by pairs. Quarter-repeating on two gongs by depressing the pendant. Piguet Meylan Trademark punched on the cuvette and on the front plate beneath the dial. Diam. 57 mm.


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Grading System
Grade: AAA

Excellent
Case: 7

Oxidized
Movement: 1

As new
Dial: 28-51

Replacements

Partially reprinted

Notes

Piguet & Meylan Philippe Samuel Meylan, born February 15th, 1772 in Bas-du- Chenit, died in 1845. At 20 years old he came to Geneva where he worked for the Godemar Freres in quality of Master worker. Afterwards the went back to Brassus where he founded a little factory in 1811. Back to Geneva, where he definitively settled clown, he met another watchmaker from his own village, Isaac Piguet, with whom he associated, founding the Piguet & Meylan Finn, which lasted from 1811 to 1828. It specialised in minute "cadratures", musical watches, skeleton or automaton watches, mechanical animals and figures. Daniel Isaac Piguet, born in Chenit in 1775, died in Geneva in 1841. Very skilful watchmaker, he associated himself a first time with Henry Capt, from 1802 to 1811, then with Samuel Philippe Meylan, another watchmaker from the same village, until 1828. Their works were signed or marked "P.M." within a lozenge. After 1828, he went on with his activities with his son, under the name of Piguet ID & Fils. Their creations were for a large part made for the Chinese Market. It is told that an important collector from Sidney bought a large quantity of watches and other musical and automaton objects of vertu, but the boat which carried the pieces was shipwrecked, in the middle of the Indian Ocean.