Reuge and Orr & Sons. A fine and unusual 18K gold openface two-train independent centre seconds keyless lever watch with musical automaton, made for the Indian Market

MOVEMENT BY C. REUGE, RETAILED BY P. ORR & SONS, MADRAS, CIRCA 1884

細節

Reuge and Orr & Sons. A fine and unusual 18K gold openface two-train independent centre seconds keyless lever watch with musical automaton, made for the Indian Market
Movement by C. Reuge, retailed by P. Orr & Sons, Madras, circa 1884
With gilt-finished two-train lever movement with bimetallic compensation balance, the musical pinned cylinder playing the tunes Sweet Hearts and Taza Bu Taza, gold cuvette, the white enamel dial with Roman numerals, blued steel spade hands, independent sweep centre seconds, centred by a painted polychrome enamel automaton scene depicting a violinist in a classical lakeside landscape, playing the violin in unison with the music, in plain circular case, the music activated by depressing a button in the band, case stamped with casemaker's initials L.W. for Louis Weill and with London date letter for 1884, movement signed P. Orr & Sons
58 mm. diam.

拍品專文

In 1865, a watchmaker by the name of Charles Reuge settled in Sainte-Croix, Switzerland, to make musical pocket watches.

After several long and difficult years of elaboration, he manufactured between 1880 and 1883 several high quality musical watches for the oriental market. The movements were fitted with musical pinned cylinders, some of them with an automaton, a violin player for example.
In 1886 his son Albert took over and opened the first workshop for musical movements which has remained to this day in Sainte Croix.

The present watch is a fine example for one of these pieces and was retailed by P. Orr & Sons, Madras, the leading watch and clock shop in South India in the 19th century.

For a note on Charles Reuge and illustration of a similar watch see La Montre Chinoise by Alfred Chapuis, p. 221.