Lot 70
70
Imhof. A fine and very rare 18K gold, openface two-train grande sonnerie striking, openface keywound clockwatch with quarter repeating jaquemart automaton on two visible bells
On lots marked with an + in the catalogue, VAT wil… Read more
Imhof. A fine and very rare 18K gold, openface two-train grande sonnerie striking, openface keywound clockwatch with quarter repeating jaquemart automaton on two visible bells

Signed Imhof à London (Swiss), circa 1810

Details
Imhof. A fine and very rare 18K gold, openface two-train grande sonnerie striking, openface keywound clockwatch with quarter repeating jaquemart automaton on two visible bells
Signed Imhof à London (Swiss), circa 1810
Gilt-finished full plate movement, engraved fixed barrels for both the going and striking trains, cylinder escapement, foliate pierced cock with initials “CJ”, polished steel strikework on the backplate, striking and repeating with two hammers on two bells via the automaton jacks on the front, repeating train with further barrel, engine-turned hinged dust cover, strike/silent lever on the dial plate edge, small eccentric white enamel dial, Roman numerals, gold pierced hands, translucent dark blue enamel ground with gold pailloné border, applied varicoloured gold jacks of a shepherd and lady striking the polished bells, polished circular case, repeating through the pendant, cuvette, dial and movement signed
57 mm. diam.
Literature
A similar watch with jaquemarts striking a bell but repeating only is in the Sir David Salomons collection. See: Watches & Clocks in the Sir David Salomons Collection, George Daniels & Ohannes Markarian, 1980, p.174.
Special notice
On lots marked with an + in the catalogue, VAT will be charged at 8% on both the premium as well as the hammer price.

Lot Essay

This extremely unusual and sophisticated version of a jaquemart automaton watch is a grande sonnerie striking clockwatch, quite a rarity at this period. Furthermore the particularly rare feature is that the automaton gold jacks actually do in reality strike the bells mounted on the front of the watch. This is almost unheard of, in nearly all other jaquemart watches the striking or repeating takes place on gongs on the inside of the movement, the figures only giving the outward appearance that they are striking. The independent striking train is elegantly set on the back plate, an integral system with a single train for both striking and repeating was not invented until 1859 by Henri Golay.

More from Rare Watches Including Important Private Collections

View All
View All