515,000 HKD
The Music Lesson Isaac Daniel Piguet, No. 98, circa 1800. Very fine, rare and important 18K gold and enamel center-seconds musical automaton watch with two tunes and quarter-repeating. Three-body, “Empire”, polished back, reeded band, gilt brass cuvette hinged to the movement ring, pin at 6 o’clock for activating music and automaton, at 4 for changing the tune and activating the new one. Small, white enamel, Breguet numerals and outer minute divisions with gold “arrowhead” hands. The gold automaton plate very well chased with a drawing room, painted on enamel automata of a gentleman with a girl on his lap playing the guitar, a boy sitting on a stool drawing and nodding his head in time to the music, a window to the right with revolving painted on enamel disk with four figures, each appearing once during the tune. Of unusual construction; the going train movement with its repeating mechanism, a complete separate unit, is inserted within the musical movement. The watch movement: 24.5 mm (11’’’), frosted gilt full-plate with cylindrical pillars, fixed barrel, cylinder escapement with jeweled steel escape wheel, brass 3-arm jeweled balance with flat balance-sprng, continental cock pierced and engraved with the letters “PIGUET”, diamond endstone, repeating on gongs by depressing the pendant. Musical and automaton movement: 50 mm (22’’’), frosted gilt full plate, cylindrical pillars, reversed fusee and chain, pinned barrel, with two stacks of three tuned vibrating blades, autom
Auctioneer:
Antiquorum
Date:
2004-06-06
