20,000 CHF
JOHN BITTLESTON - QUARTER STRIKING COACH WATCH WITH CALENDAR & DIABLOTINE John Bittleston, London No. 1691. Made for the Chinese market, circa 1785. Very fine and rare, large, gilded brass, two-train, quarterstriking, center-seconds, pair-cased coach watch with fifth of a second jumping hand, day of the week calendar and lunar calendar. Accompanied by a fitted morocco box. Outer: two-body, the bezel and back pierced and engraved with floral decoration and central flower spay. Inner: two-body, “bassine”, pierced and engraved with flowers and foliage around the band, the back with engraved flower spray. Eccentric, white enamel, radial Roman numerals, outer Arabic minutes, center-seconds with outer seconds ring with Arabic five-seconds numerals, two subsidiary dials for lunar calendar with moon’s age indication and days of the week, small subsidiary fifth-second jumping hand. Gold beetle and poker hands. Fire-gilded, full-plate, fully foliate engraved, English gilded cock finely pierced and engraved with foliage and a mask, fuse and chain for both trains, cylinder escapement, plain steel balance, flat balance spring, large diamond endstone, rack and pinion regulator with silvered dial, striking with two hammers on a bell in the back of the case, strike/silent lever protruding from the bezel. Movement signed. DIAM. 108 mm Notes Quarter-striking coach watches are very rare. This example was made for the Chinese market and has jumping fifths of seconds, or “diablotine”. Anoth
Auctioneer:
Antiquorum
Date:
2013-03-17
