Remond & Cie

Remond & Cie, Geneve, circa 1810. Very fine 18K gold and enamel snuff-box with built-in watch and music, in original red leather fitted box. Four body oblong, engine-turned with black champleve enamelled formal decoration, the central compartment flanked by the musical and the watch movement fitted within the rounded ends.The halfmoon lids disclosing on the left a fine white enamel musical score against a gold engine-turned ground, the watch dials on the right. Small white enamel chapter ring with Breguet numerals with symmetrical chapter ring for seconds. Blued steel "sade " hands. Gold engine-turned dial plate. Half moon gilt brass full plate with cylindrical pillars, the going barrel passing through the back plate and secured by a bridge, cylinder escapement with brass escape wheel, plain brass three-arm balance, flat balance spring. Musical movement: Half moon brass musical train with pin-drum and ten stacked steel blades. Remond Master mark punched inside the central lid. Dim. 71 x 33 mm. Notes The layout of the singing bird mechanism enables to attribute it to Jacob Frisard the famous maker, inventor of the device enabling the bird to fold back into the box once the song is finished and close the lid. Jacob Frisard Born in Villaret, near St-Imier in 1753, worked in Leschot' s workshop where he was in charge of the singing birds. He settled on his own circa 1800. He also worked on highly complicated automaton pieces made for the Emperor of China. I-Ie also worke Read more…