314,250 CHF
J. Chauvel, London, first quarter of the 18th Century. Magnificent and unique 22 ct. gold pair cased, quarter repeating small coach watch with music on five bells. Outer double body, gilt brass, shagreen covered with gold piqué work decoration in a star pattern and pierced with roundels. Inner, marked "I. ( John Dearmer I or John Dewilde) pierced and chased with scrolling foliage within a rocaille decoration, the bezel with four medallions chased with symbols of the Four Seasons, four other medallions chased with realistic profile portraits of apparently four members of a family. D. Gold champlevé with Roman numerals and outer Arabic minute ring, with small aperture for the regulator. Blued steel "poker and beetle" hands. Hinged gilt brass inverted full plate double cage with conical pillars, fusee with chain, verge escapement, plain brass three-arm balance with short flat balance spring and plain gilt brass cock, set on the front plate beneath the dial. Musical and repeating trains set between the second and the back plate, the musical train with gilt brass fixed barrel engraved with foliage decoration. Two tune music on five bells, with pin-cylinder and ten hammers, released automatically every three hours, bells and hammers inset within the movement. Signed on the dial and the back plate. In very good condition. Diam. 78 mm. Notes Note: Coach-watches with music of small dimensions are extremely rare, no other watch of this type, made of gold, is known to exist. It
Auctioneer:
Antiquorum
Date:
1995-10-21