22,800 CHF
Napoleon III, Imperial French Eagle Czapek & Cie a Genève et Place Vendôme, 28, Paris, No. 8575. Made circa 1865. Very fine and extremely rare, miniature, 18K gold and rose-cut diamond-set lady’s pendant watch with a gold, enamel and rose-cut diamond-set brooch fitting in the form of the French Imperial Eagle, probably a personal gift of Napoleon III. Four-body, “bassine et filet”, the front cover with rose-diamondset initials “CB” on a royal blue translucent enamel ground, rosecut diamond-set border, the back cover decorated with the French Imperial eagle in rose-cut diamonds and with black champlevé thunderbolts, translucent royal blue enamel ground, rose-cut diamond-set border, polished band and borders. Hinged gold cuvette. White enamel with radial Roman numerals, outer minute divisions. Blued steel Breguet hands. 15 mm., 7’’’, frosted gilt, bar caliber, 8 jewels, cylinder escapement, plain three-arm gilt balance, flat balance spring, index regulator. Cuvette signed. Diam. 20 mm. Notes This extremely beautiful watch and brooch is exceptional not only for its small size but for the very rich decoration of the case, which is almost unique in a miniature watch. The firm of Czapek & Cie was at 28, Place Vendome for only nine years, between 1860 and 1869, so dating the watch to within this period, it is also significant that Juliusz Gruzewski, Czapek’s partner, was a personal friend of Napoleon III, a fact which no doubt allowed him to become watchmaker to the Emperor. T
Auctioneer:
Antiquorum
Date:
2009-03-29
