295,000 HKD
“Titus and Berenice” Edouard Juvet, Fleurier. Made for the Chinese market, circa 1835. Very fine, 18K gold and painted on enamel center-seconds pocket watch. Three-body, "Chinese", spring-loaded back finely painted on enamel depicting Titus and Berenice, a rose garlanded plinth to the left, red guilloché background, the bezels with a repeated champlevé enamel pattern of white flowers and translucent scarlet and blue, the pendant and bow decorated to match. Gold cuvette hinged to the movement ring. White enamel, radial Roman numerals, outer minute track with fifteen-minute Arabic numerals. Blued steel “ovoid” hands. Notes Edouard & Léo Juvet One of the important Swiss horological families working for the Chinese market. Edouard Juvet (1820-1883) was first established in Buttes in 1842, but in 1844 moved his workshop to Fleurier. He began making "Chinese" watches in 1856. Edouard's sons Ami-Louis and Léo traveled to China to work in the family firm. When Ami-Louis died there, Léo (1848-1891) took his place. In Shanghai, the Juvets were rivaled only by the Bovets, yet the two families maintained friendly relations. The Maison Juvet prospered, opening branches in Tien-Tsin and Saigon, to the extent that in 1872 Léo wrote : "Our watches sell like salt". In 1873, Edouard Juvet registered a trademark in Chinese characters, which was used on the company's products. He granted his son Léo power of attorney in November 1875, and after his death in February 1883, Léo succe
Auctioneer:
Antiquorum
Date:
2006-04-23
