SWISS | A SPLENDID, LARGE AND VERY RARE GOLD AND ENAMEL TWO-TRAIN DOUBLE DIALLED AND DOUBLE AUTOMATA QUARTER REPEATING WATCH WITH JACQUEMARTS, VISIBLE BALANCE AND AUTOMATA SCENECIRCA 1800

• Movement: full plate, two-train, cylinder escapement, plain cylindrical pillars, repeating on a bell mounted through the front dial • Dials: front - with blue enamel ground, small white subsidiary dial for time, two vari-colour gold jacquemarts each with automata arm holding a polished steel hammer striking a bell mounted beneath a polychrome enamel painted plaque depicting a pair newly weds in a landscape, inset white date dial • back dial with polychrome enamel painted village scene, a windmill in the background, applied vari-colour gold decoration to the foreground, the automata consisting of turning paste-set sails of a windmill and wheel of a watermill whilst a fisherman raises and lowers his rod and a donkey drinks from a moving stream of water formed from a glass rod, aperture for visible balance against a polished steel disc, inset blued steel dial for regulation• Case: pink gold, the front bezel with pierced sides and decoratively engraved with flowers and foliage

Sir David Salomons
Christie's Geneva, 13 November 1985, lot 198

A. Chapuis & E. Gélis, Les Mondes des Automates, Paris, 1928, p. 61,63 & fig. 342 

Movement: not running, not repeating and automata not active at time of cataloguing. Dials: a couple of faint hairline cracks behind the figure of the fisherman to the automata scene, signs of heat repair to the figure itself. Minor small hairline to blue enamel of the front dial at 10 and some minor chipping at the very edge above 12 o'clock. Otherwise the dials appear to be in good overall condition. Case: splitting and repairs to case band around the pierced decoration to left side of front bezel. Small marks and scratches.
"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."

Commonly, Jacquemarts figures mounted to watches merely imitate the striking of a bell. Unusually the vari-colour gold figures of a gentleman and a lady mounted to the front dial of this watch hold polished steel hammers which actually strike and sound a bell which is mounted beneath the polychrome enamel painted plaque. The painted plaque itself depicts a newly wedded couple and the striking Jacquemarts appear to celebrate the scene. It is rare to find watches of this type incorporating a double automata, in this instance, the back of the watch incorporates a separate automata scene which depicts a fisherman raising and lowering his rod whilst the wheel of a watermill and sails of a windmill turn, to the right hand side of the scene a donkey appears to drink from a moving stream.