690,000 HKD
Not signed (Henry Capt), Genève, circa 1800. Very fine and extremely rare 18 ct. gold quarter repeating musical watch with an automaton scene on the dial plate and a concealed erotic one. Double body, Empire with reeded band, the back chased with "Father of Time", walking on a terrestrial globe. Fixed gold and enamel cuvette painted with a scene where "the Grand Chambeland reassures himself that the Napoleonic line will continue". Small eccentric gold engine turned with Breguet numerals, the engraved whit a rosette. Blued steel " spade" hands. The dial plate with a fine enamel painted scene of a village, the foreground applied with a vary-colour gold chased automaton scene depicting a boy teaching the dance to his dog white a lady plays the guitar. GiIt brass full plate double train movement with cylindrical pillars, going barrel and cylinder escapement, plain brass three-arm balance, flat balance spring, small gilt brass cock with polished steel end-piece. Repeating on gongs by depressing the pendant. Musical train with pinbarrel and six stacked steel blades. In very good condition. Diam. 58 mm. Notes The movement of this watch is very much in the style of those produced by Henry Capt, who was by that time, with Piguet Meylan, the specialist of musical watches with automaton scenes. Watches fitted with two automaton scenes are extremely rare, even more so when one of them is of erotic nature. As usually in such case, the watch is not signed. This watch is publish
Auctioneer:
Antiquorum
Date:
1994-06-17
