14,160 CHF
“Member of the Royal House of Romania” J. F. Bautte & Cie, à Genève, No. 69308. Made for a member of the Royal House of Romania, circa 1850. Very fine and rare, thin, 18K gold and painted on enamel, hunting cased pocket watch. Four-body, “bassine et filet”, engine-turned, reeded band, the front cover decorated with the finely painted coat of arms and the motto “Quae Nocent Docent”, the back cover with multi-colored translucent champleve enamel initials “AC” beneath a Royal crown. Hinged gold cuvette. White enamel with small radial Roman numerals, outer minute track. Blued steel “Breguet” hands. 38 mm., 17’’’, frosted gilt, bar caliber, 8 jewels, cylinder escapement, three-arm gilt balance, blued steel flat balance spring, index regulator. Cuvette signed. Diam. 45.5 mm. Notes Bautte & Cie. Jean-François Bautte was born on March 26, 1772. He was apprenticed at twelve, successively learning the crafts of case maker, engine-turner, watchmaker, jeweller and gem-setter. He was barely nineteen years old when he put his name on his first watch. Two years later, in 1797, Bautte took as partner the case maker Moulinié and the firm Moulinié & Bautte in 1804 was joined by the watchmaker Jean Gabriel Moynier, the name of the company first becoming Moulinié, Bautte & Cie., then being renamed Moulinié, Bautte & Moynier. By this time, Bautte was the most important dealer in Geneva.
Auctioneer:
Antiquorum
Date:
2007-10-14
