Swiss - The Hong Kong Watch Auction: TWO Hong Kong Monday, May 30, 2016 | Phillips

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  • Manufacturer: Swiss
    Year: Circa 1800
    Material: Three colour gold and enamel
    Dimensions: 57 mm. diameter
    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
    For a repeating pocket watch with salacious automata, please see Watches & Automata, The Maurice Sandoz Collection by Bernard Pin, pages 186 to 189.

  • Catalogue Essay

    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.

359

A very fine and very rare three colour gold and enamel musical automata openface watch with hidden erotic automation

Circa 1800
57 mm. diameter

Estimate
HK$500,000 - 700,000 

Sold for HK$562,500

Contact Specialist

Thomas Perazzi
Head of Watches, Asia
+852 2318 2001
thomasperazzi@phillips.com

Ziyong Ho
Specialist
+852 9386 2032
ziyongho@phillips.com

Jill Chen
Specialist
+852 2318 2033
jillchen@phillips.com

The Hong Kong Watch Auction: TWO

Hong Kong Auction 31 May 2016