Robin

• gilt and steel calendar work visible through glazed back • white enamel dial painted with concentric rings calibrated for the four seasons and punctuated with painted enamel emblems for each, months with corresponding number of days, date, days of the week and centered by phases of the moon with aperture for ages • bezels decorated with blue and white champlevé enamel foliate motif • dial and movement signed Robin, dial underside signed Coteau

The dial shows hairlines, specifically in the center portion near the signature and from the 1 in the date ring and to the 30th of June. The calendar work is in good order and the calendar sets. The enamel to the band has some losses. The piece functions as an aide memoir which must be manually set each day and is not powered by a mainspring.
"In response to your inquiry, we are pleased to provide you with a general report of the condition of the property described above. All dimensions in catalogue descriptions are approximate. Condition reports may not specify mechanical replacements or imperfections to the movement, case, dial, pendulum, separate base(s) or dome. Watches in water-resistant cases have been opened to examine movements but no warranties are made that the watches are currently water-resistant. Please note that we do not guarantee the authenticity of any individual component parts, such as wheels, hands, crowns, crystals, screws, bracelets and leather bands, since subsequent repairs and restoration work may have resulted in the replacement of original parts. Since we are not professional conservators or restorers, we urge you to consult with a restorer or conservator of your choice who will be better able to provide a detailed, professional report. Prospective buyers should inspect each lot to satisfy themselves as to condition and must understand that any statement made by Sotheby's is merely a subjective, qualified opinion. Prospective buyers should also refer to any Important Notices regarding this sale, which are printed in the Sale Catalogue. In particular, please note it is the purchaser's responsibility to comply with any applicable import and export matters, particularly in relation to lots incorporating materials from endangered species.NOTWITHSTANDING THIS REPORT OR ANY DISCUSSIONS CONCERNING A LOT, ALL LOTS ARE OFFERED AND SOLD AS IS" IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE CONDITIONS OF BUSINESS PRINTED IN THE SALE CATALOGUE."

**Please be advised that bands made of materials derived from endangered or otherwise protected species (i.e. alligator and crocodile) are not sold with the watches and are for display purposes only. We reserve the right to remove these bands prior to shipping.

Important Notice regarding importation into the United States of Rolex watches
Sotheby's cannot arrange for the delivery of Rolex watches to the United States because U.S. laws restricts the import of Rolex watches. The buyer or a designated agent may collect the property in the country of sale."

Robert Robin, the most renowned French clockmaker to work in the latter part of the eighteenth-century, was born at Chauny in 1741. He was received as a master clockmaker in November 1767 by decree of the Council exempting him from the apprenticeship qualification, probably because he had already displayed such a formidable talent for his art.

He was made Horloger du Duc de Chartres in 1778, Horloger du Roi in 1784 and Horloger de la Reine in 1786 as well as many other formal appointments during the fading years of the Royal family and into the era of the Republic. He established premises at various addresses in Paris and was at the prestigious Galeries du Louvre from 1786.

Robin was a remarkable engineer with a creative mind. He was prominent among a small circle of great clockmakers at the end of the eighteenth century who greatly improved the accuracy of time measurement. During the final years of the French monarchy Robin supplied the Crown with a considerable number of clocks. The various inventories for the King, the Queen and that of Monsieur, the King's brother, list upwards of forty clocks by Robin. He died in Paris on 17 July 1799.

Joseph Coteau (1740-1812) was possibly the most famous enameler of his day, supplying dials for the great clockmakers of France. Born in Geneva, he became maître-peintre-émailleur at the Académie de Saint-Luc in Geneva in 1766. By 1772 he was installed in Rue Poupée, Paris.

Coteau is celebrated not only for his dials but also as a skilled miniaturist. He discovered a new method for fixing raised gold on porcelain and worked closely with the Sèvres factory in developing their 'jewelled' porcelain. After the abolition of the guilds in 1791, enamellers were allowed to sell complete clocks without being required to include the name of the clockmaker.