53,100 CHF
“Le Rêve d’Amour” Vacheron & Constantin, Genève, No. 439776, case No. 299054, Ref. 4472. Enamel by Helen May Mercier. Made in 1947. Very fine and unique, 18K yellow gold and painted on enamel keyless dress watch. Three-body, "Paris", polished and brushed, the back with finely painted on enamel scene of Venus and Cupid in an Arcadian river landscape. Silvered, brushed, applied yellow gold dart indexes and Arabic quarter hour numerals, outer minute track, subsidiary seconds. Gold "bâton" hands. Cal. 17’’’ 439, rhodium plated, "fausses-côtes" decoration, 17 jewels, straight line lever escapement, cut beryllium balance with timing screws, blued steel Breguet balance-spring, swan-neck micrometer regulator. Dial, case and movement signed. Diam. 46 mm. Notes Watches such as the present one, with very finely painted on enamel scenes executed by Geneva’s master enamelers, were always unique pieces made in only one example. A similar watch with the consecutive case number to the present watch, was sold by Antiquorum, Geneva, “The Quarter Millennium of Vacheron Constantin”, April 3, 2005, lot 202. The scene of the present watch is taken from an 18th century vignette. Helen May Mercier An enamel painter, student of Charles Poluzzi, who worked during the second third of the 20th century. See: “Dictionnaire des horlogers genevois”, by Osvaldo Patrizzi, Antiquorum Editions, 1998.
Auctioneer:
Antiquorum
Date:
2006-05-14
