377,600 HKD
“Summer Bouquet” Bovet, Fleurier, No. 523. Made for the Chinese market, circa 1835. Very fine and extremely rare, 18K gold, painted on enamel and champlevé enamel, centerseconds pocket watch with damascened polished steel and gold movement with duplex escapement. Two-body, the bezels, pendant and bow decorated with pink, red, blue and green champlevé enamel, the back panel painted with a fine composition of summer flowers on a pale lilac ground. Hinged gold cuvette with engraved foliate decoration. White enamel with radial Roman numerals, outer minutes/seconds divisions, Arabic quarter hour numerals. Blued steel "spade" hands. Blued steel and gold damascened with foliate decoration, "Chinese" caliber with mirror polished wheel train and bridges, standing barrel, jeweled single wheel duplex escapement, three-arm balance with wedge shaped blued steel weights, flat balance spring and index regulator. Movement signed. Diam. 58 mm. Property of an Oriental Gentleman Notes For a discussion of watches made for the Chinese market, see Antiquorum, Geneva, November 25, 2006, pages 196 - 201. Bovet A watchmaking dynasty founded by Edouard, Frédéric, Alphonse, Gustave, Charles-Henri, and Caroline Bovet, of Fleurier. In 1822, a Bovet partnership was founded for the Chinese watch trade in Canton. In 1840, Bovet Frères et Cie was established in Fleurier, and in 1864, the Bovet watch production was sold to Bovet’s manufacturing inspectors in Fleurier, Jules Jéquier and Ernest Bobi
Auctioneer:
Antiquorum
Date:
2003-06-02
