Lot 81

Sd. Mercier à Genève, Horloger Bréveté, de sa Majesté Britannique, 67 x 46 x 16 mm, 81 g, circa 1860
A lady's prestigious gold enamel purse with concealed watch, studded with diamonds
Case: gold, enamel, diamonds. Dial: enamel. Movm.: bridge movement, cylinder escapement, three-arm brass balance.
The exquisite square case is built like a wallet - it folds out to show three inner compartments lined with silk. Front and back are decorated with floral engraving and in parts with translucent cobalt blue enamel and an opaque white ornamental border. The front has a hinged lid with translucent cobalt blue enamel and diamonds, which conceals the watch. A double-row gold chain of 160 mm allows the watch to be carried like a miniature handbag.
Mercier, Geneva: winner of a Prize Medal at the 1851 Great Exhibition, and known to have sold watches to the English Royal Family.