310,500 HKD
Titus and Berenice Edouard Juvet, Fleurier, No. 46287, made for the Chinese market, circa 1840. Fine, 18K gold and painted on enamel center-seconds watch with duplex escapement. Two-body, "Chinese" style, with the gold cuvette hinged to the movement ring, spring-loaded back finely painted on enamel with Titus and Berenice, a sunset in the background, roses growing on a stone barrier to the left, bezels with a repeated champlevé enamel pattern of white flowers on a translucent scarlet ground. White enamel, radial Roman numerals, outer minute divisions with fifteen-minute Arabic markers. Gold "Spade" hands. Notes The pair to this watch was sold by Antiquorum during the Important Watches, Collector's Wristwatches and Clocks sale held on November 16, 2002, lot 153. Edouard & Léo Juvet One of the important Swiss horological families working for the Chinese market. Edouard Juvet (1820-1883) first established his workshop in Buttes in 1842, but in 1844 moved 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
Auctioneer:
Antiquorum
Date:
2004-06-06
