359. Swiss
A very fine and very rare three
colour gold and enamel musical
automata openface watch with
hidden erotic automation
Manufacturer
Year
Swiss
Circa 1800
Material
Three colour gold and
enamel
57 mm. diameter
Dimensions
瑞士，非常精細及罕有，三色金及琺瑯音
Estimate
樂懷錶，配春宮活動人偶，約1800年製
HKD 500,000-700,000
USD 62,000-87,500
Literature
For a similar watch, however without
music, please see Swiss Watches and
snuff-boxes, 17th and 20th Centuries,
Artistic enamels from the Hermitage
Collection, page 47.
In the late 18th and early 19th century, the
Swiss made a considerable number of musical
and automata watches. Some scenes were
of an innocence nature and others reveal
at a release of a secret shutter, a couple
embracing as with the present watch. By
activating a lever in the band, the music and
automata is activated and the shutter opens
revealing the salacious scene. This lot is a
four automata watch where the waterfall
is pouring from a statue at the top of the
column, the lady is waving her arm, the dog
is bowing its head and the couple embracing.
Surrounded by finely painted polychrome
enamel scene, the present example is a very
rare and fine erotic musical automata.
For a repeating pocket watch with
salacious automata, please see
Watches & Automata, The Maurice
Sandoz Collection by Bernard Pin,
pages 186 to 189.
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