97th Auction

2018/5/12

Lot 420

Simon De Charmes, London, 54 mm, 179 g, circa 1730
An important pair-cased quarter repeating verge pocket watch with matching gold Repoussé chatelaine with pendant and key
Case: outer case - 22K gold, "repoussé" decoration, pierced edges with lavishly engraved foliate decor, case maker's punch mark "AR". Inner case - 22k gold, lateral florally engraved and pierced, rear bell, signed movement protection cap. Dial: gold champlevé, diamond-set, filigree hands studded with diamonds. Movm.: full plate movement, chain/fusee, 2 hammers, three-arm brass balance.
The back of the outer case is engraved with a four-part family crest bearing snails, in a curved floral frame with the motto "Constancy & Perseverance". The open-work rim is decorated with tendrils and four oval, applied medallions which show the profile portraits of two ladies and two gentlemen wearing periwigs. On the front, the rim is similarly ornamented - the fine medallions here show alternating crowns and shells. The inner case also has a pierced rim and is embellished with engraved tendrils, fantasy birds and dolphins; a bacchanalian mask sits at "6" and a contemporary city view is shown near the pendant. The watch comes with a corresponding five-part chatelaine with baroque-style Repoussé ornaments and engraving; a crown on the very top displays a double coat of arms and the motto "Non Inferiora Secutus" (following not the inferior). The chatelaine is adorned with small chains that carry delicate gems: a gold signet with engraved initials "RSA" that supports the small statue of a female martyr, a watch key in the form of a saintly bishop, a tassel and several bells.
The crown of the chatelaine is a French marquis crown. The double coat of arms belongs to the two cities Choiseul and Genech in the north, respectively north-east of France. The motto "Non Inferiora Secutus" comes from Genech, but is used for both coats of arms.
Simon des Charmes was a French Huguenot watchmaker born in 1665 in Langres. He was extremely talented and successful - the few timepieces by des Charmes that have survived until today are some of his finest works. His parents died soon after he was born. Simon stayed in France until the Revocations of the Edict of Nantes in 1685, then, however, he followed the example of other Huguenot craftsmen and emigrated to London. In 1691 he gained his freedom from the Worshipful Company of Clockmakers; he became a wealthy man and moved to a grand house in Hammersmith. Des Charmes was married and had six children; he died in 1734 in Hammersmith at the age of 69.

estimated
30.00040.000 €
Price realized
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