126,500 HKD
Attributed to Le Roy, Au Palais Royal No. 88, Paris, No. 776, circa 1810. Very fine and rare 18K gold and enamel, pearl and diamond-set, hunting-cased "médaillon à tact" lady's pendant watch. Three-body, "Empire", both covers with translucent Imperial blue enamel over sunburst engine-turning, hinged front, revolving back fixed with diamond-set à tact hand, reeded bezels, fluted band, 12 pearls set in fluted gold wire frames for touch hour pieces, alternating with smaller ones for half-hours, gilded detachable cuvette with aperture for dial, winding, and setting. Small eccentric white enamel, Breguet numerals, outer minute divisions. Blued steel “Index” hands. Notes This type of watch was originally designed by Breguet at the end of the 18th century. In the spring of 1799 he sold the first one to Madame Betancourt, the wife of his most trusted friend. The next ones followed shortly. Some were with small touch pieces, some, such as this one, with large ones. These were the most expensive watches Breguet ever sold. They very were popular in early 1800s among the wealthy and powerful. The price was between 10,000 and 15,000 francs, a staggering sum at the time. One of the reasons they were so popular was that they allowed the owner, without raising attention, to check the time by feeling the à tact hand against the touch pieces. Le Roy Horloger de S. A .I et R. Madame à Paris, is one of few who followed Breguet and produced very spectacular watches of this type. Le Roy
Auctioneer:
Antiquorum
Date:
2004-06-06
