90th Auction

2014/11/15

Lot 189

Francois & August Meylan à Genève, Case No. 25569, 43 mm, 37 g, circa 1844
A shooter’s remarkable and exquisite gold enamel watch, presented by the Geneva cantonal police on the occasion of the Swiss Federal Rifle Championship 1844 in Basle and commemorating the 400 year anniversary of the battle of St. Jakob near Basle / "Offert par les Carabiniers du Canton de Genève au Tir Fédéral de Bâle, 1844"
Case: gold, back with opaque enamelling: central rectangular enamel cartouche with battle scene, copperplate engraving style. Polychrome escutcheon listing the commanders who died in the battle: Seevogel-Reding-Walter-Brandli-Hofsteller-Seiler-Schick-Nestalier. The shield is flanked by two medallions showing figures in tears. Military equipment and Swiss cantonal flags at the sides, two lions and cantonal coat of arms at the top; reeded band, engraved pendant, case maker's punch mark "FM". Dial: silvered, lavish floral engravings, eccentric chapter ring with inlaid radial Roman numerals, visible balance with steel mask at "12", Breguet hands. Movm.: full plate movement, bagnolet caliber, keywind, lavishly florally engraved, partly gilt and silvered, engraved inscription: "Offert par les carabiniers du Canton de Genève au Tir Fédéral de Bâle 1844" ("Commemorative watch of the Geneva cantonal police on the occasion of the Swiss Federal Rifle Championship 1844 in Basle "), cylinder escapement.
Bagnolet Caliber
In the bagnolet caliber the movement is inverted and the train reversed. The idea was to make a very thin watch by reducing the thickness of the bridges and the dial and to eliminate the cuvette. Philippe Samuel Meylan is credited with the invention of the bagnolet caliber.

Sold

estimated
16.00030.000 €
Price realized
40.400 €