20,000 CHF
LEPINE, BELLE EPOQUE CRUCIFIX PENDANT WATCH Lepine, Swiss, No. 30970. Made circa 1910. Extremely fine and very elegant, heavy 18K gold, platinum, enamel and diamond-set keyless crucifix pendant watch with cruciform movement. Two-body, cruciform, decorated on both sides with translucent red champlevé enamel over engraved lines, translucent green enamel borders, the front with an applied platinum and rose-cut diamond-set crown of thorns, the four points of the cross each set with three diamonds in platinum settings, the pendant enameled to match the case is also the winding crown. Matte silver with painted radial Arabic numerals, outer minute divisions. Blued steel Breguet hands. Matte gilt brass, cross-shaped, 17 jewels, straight line lever escapement, cut bimetallic compensation balance, blued steel Breguet balance spring with index regulator. Dial and case signed. Dim. 62 x 48 mm. Notes This very fi nely made crucifi x is cleverly enameled in translucent red of the same shade but applied skillfully in different compartments and different depths of enamel to produce lighter and darker shades within “cells” . Although technically the champlevé technique has been used here, the fi nished effect is similar to cloisonné. The diamonds are set in platinum which is so typical of the opening years of the 20th century when the use of platinum was being pioneered by the famous jewellery houses such as Cartier. The winding of this watch is performed by rotating the pendant so that
Auctioneer:
Antiquorum
Date:
2012-05-13
