100th Auction
2019/11/15
Lot 32
Louis Duchêne & Fils à Genève, 50 mm, 75 g, circa 1800
An important Geneva gold enamel automaton carrousel verge pocket watch
Case: 18k gold, glazed back with figures. Dial: enamel, polychrome painted, eccentric hour chapter ring with Arabic numerals, scale for adjusting device at "12". Movm.: full plate movement, keywind, chain/fusee.
The back of this timepiece is decorated with blue Champlevé enamel and a cut-out sector in the top half shows a painted parkland set against the "performing automaton" with alternating appearances of a huntsman and a stag in the course of a minute.
This type of performing automaton with moving figures is incredibly rare. We sold a very similar piece made by Bouvier Frères during our 82nd auction; another one, with additional moving figures, is owned by the Patek Philippe Museum in Geneva (Vol. IV, S. 63, inventory no. S-212). In 1981 another pocket watch of this kind was sold in an auction; it was signed "Roux Roman et Bordier & Compagnie" and the estimate at the time was 100,000 to 130,000 deutschmark.
The company Duchêne was founded by Louis Duchêne (1730-1804) in Geneva around 1750. The company signed its products with Duchêne & Cie. from 1770 until 1790; in 1791 the company name changed to Louis Duchêne & Fils and traded under that name until 1820. The two sons of Louis Duchêne, Jacob Louis Duchêne (1751-1800) and Jacob Etienne Duchêne (1759-1840) were partners in the firm. Watches by Duchêne carry varying signatures on the dials, cases and movements.
Source: https://watch-wiki.org/index.php?title=Louis_Duch%C3%AAne_%26_Cie, as of 07/04/2017
An important Geneva gold enamel automaton carrousel verge pocket watch
Case: 18k gold, glazed back with figures. Dial: enamel, polychrome painted, eccentric hour chapter ring with Arabic numerals, scale for adjusting device at "12". Movm.: full plate movement, keywind, chain/fusee.
The back of this timepiece is decorated with blue Champlevé enamel and a cut-out sector in the top half shows a painted parkland set against the "performing automaton" with alternating appearances of a huntsman and a stag in the course of a minute.
This type of performing automaton with moving figures is incredibly rare. We sold a very similar piece made by Bouvier Frères during our 82nd auction; another one, with additional moving figures, is owned by the Patek Philippe Museum in Geneva (Vol. IV, S. 63, inventory no. S-212). In 1981 another pocket watch of this kind was sold in an auction; it was signed "Roux Roman et Bordier & Compagnie" and the estimate at the time was 100,000 to 130,000 deutschmark.
The company Duchêne was founded by Louis Duchêne (1730-1804) in Geneva around 1750. The company signed its products with Duchêne & Cie. from 1770 until 1790; in 1791 the company name changed to Louis Duchêne & Fils and traded under that name until 1820. The two sons of Louis Duchêne, Jacob Louis Duchêne (1751-1800) and Jacob Etienne Duchêne (1759-1840) were partners in the firm. Watches by Duchêne carry varying signatures on the dials, cases and movements.
Source: https://watch-wiki.org/index.php?title=Louis_Duch%C3%AAne_%26_Cie, as of 07/04/2017
estimated
19.000—25.000 €
Price realized
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