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6
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6. Anhard à Genève. A fine and heavy Empire 18K gold open fa…
6
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6. Anhard à Genève. A fine and heavy Empire 18K gold open fa…
Estimate €15,000 - €25,000
Voluntary lot
Description
6. Anhard à Genève. A fine and heavy Empire 18K gold open face key wind pocket watch with three automatons and quarter repeating function
Date: Circa 1810
Movement: Gilt full plate, Swiss lever, cut and compensated bi-metallic balance wheel
Dial: White enamelled, fine scene with automatons to centre, black Arabic numeral hour markers, black outer minute track, blued steel 'Breguet style' hands
Case: Polished hinged round, metal inner cuvette, repeating button to pendant at 12
Signed: Inner cuvete
Size: 58mm
Weight: 142,93g
Accompaniments: Keys
Dating from the Empire period, this impressive quarter-repeating pocket watch with three automatons illustrates the remarkable level of technical and artistic refinement achieved by Genevan watchmakers in the early 19th century. Combining a complex striking mechanism with animated automaton scenes, such creations were intended not only to measure time, but also to entertain and demonstrate mechanical virtuosity. Watches of this type were among the most prestigious productions of their era, requiring exceptional skill in both horology and decorative craftsmanship. The present example further reflects the influence of early Breguet aesthetics and the broader fascination for animated mechanical objects that characterised high-end European watchmaking during the Napoleonic period.
Pictures credits: Contact the Auction House
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