The See-sawUnsigned

The See-sawUnsigned, Geneva, probably by Piguet and Capt, circa 1810. Very fine and extremely rare 18 ct. varicoloured gold and enamel, pearl-set ring watch with three automata. Oval top housing the watch and the automata, pearl-set bezel, the head is fitted to the shank with runners and on its underside a shutter gives access to the winding and setting squares, the sides of the shank embossed and engraved with palm leaf decoration. Eccentric, white enamel, Breguet numerals, outer minute division. Blued-steel Breguet hands. A varicoloured gold couple rock on a see-saw while a small boy in the tree chops the branches above them with his axe. The tree curves aroundhe visible, diamond-set balance. The whole mounted on an oval painted enamel dial plate with a lakescape. 16.5 x 30.6 mm, oval, plain brass, fixed barrel, cylinder escapement, steel escape wheel, three curved arm diamond-set balance, flat balance spring.The automaton is driven by a five-wheel train with eccentric end pinion to regulate the speed of the movements and activated by a small lever on the top right..Dim. Length 38 mm, width 25 mm. Published in the Sandberg book, page 390-391. Notes This watch is illustrated in 'Montres de fantaisie',Osvaldo Patrizzi and Fabienne X. Sturm, Geneva, 1979, fig. 67.For discussion on ring watches, see page 72.