36,800 CHF
Swiss, retailed by E. Morgan, Nice & Paris. Made circa 1900. Very fine, rare and unusual, 18K gold, diamond and ruby-set walking cane handle with “iris” shutter and concealed watch and photograph compartment. Accompanied by the original leather-covered fitted box. Three-body, the tapered shaft with dot and wavy-line engine turned decoration, the top hinged to reveal an aperture to house a photograph and to access the winding and hand-setting crowns, frosted gold bezel with six gypsy set diamonds and an inner border of calibre-set rubies, the bezel rotating to open the “iris” shutter to reveal the dial. White enamel with radial Roman numerals, outer minute track and red painted Arabic five minute markers. Blued steel “spade” hands. 13’’’, frosted gilt, bar caliber, cylinder escapement, three-arm gold balance wheel, blued steel flat balance spring, index regulator. Dim. 66.5 x 33 mm. Notes This walking cane top or handle is particularly finely made and has the very unusual feature of the “iris” shutter to conceal the dial. This operates in the same manner as a camera shutter and would have been a very difficult mechanism for a jeweler to construct. E. Morgan A jeweler, he had premises at 10, Avenue Massena in Nice and 17, Rue de la Paix, Paris. The firm was a successor of the Maison Rassot. The present lot was previously sold by Antiquorum New York on June 20, 1998, lot 319.
Auctioneer:
Antiquorum
Date:
2005-10-16
