Throughout history, mankind has sought to understand and define the environment in which he lives. The ancients looked to deities to explain everyday occurrences, just as the sun rose in the east, it set in the west, and there was a God or Goddess to insure this continuity. The present clock with cloisonné enamel scene of “Roosters” is a modern interpretation of this concept.

The polychrome enamel dome features a goddess holding an orb in each hand with a moon on one side and the sun on the other. Set against a dark blue green enamel background, the goddess has luminous red flowing hair and set in a dark purple lunette. The white crescent moon is set within a dark purple lunette, as is the orange enamel sun. The scene is enhanced with white enamel stars and green leaves. The case is with four polychrome cloisonné enamel panels each with a representation of a bird. The colors from the dome are repeated throughout the four panels. The Rooster is symbolic of the beginning of the new day, as well resurrection, while the owl is a symbol of night.

In very nice original condition, the present clock is signed by the enameller Derrcle and a fine example of the unique cloisonné enamel clocks produced by Patek Philippe during the mid-20th-century. This clock features an electronically wound movement powered through the domed solar cells, an innovation by the firms Electronic Division, which opened in 1948.