The following two lots, 415 and 415, are extremely fine and rare examples of watches featuring an automaton. The first automatons appeared in Geneva in the late 18th century, small technical marvels imitating the movements of living creatures or beings, ranging from simpler "Bras en l'Air" figures whose arms would indicate the time to incredibly complex works such as pastoral, theatre or other scenes. Some of these automata were fitted with repeating or musical mechanisms and were highly appreciated works of art not only in Europe but also by Chinese and Ottoman dignitaries.

Capt. A very fine and rare 18K gold double dial two-train musical automaton watch

SIGNED HENRY CAPT A GENEVE, NO. 335, CIRCA 1815

Details

Capt. A very fine and rare 18K gold double dial two-train musical automaton watch
Signed Henry Capt a Geneve, no. 335, circa 1815
With keywound gilt-finished cylinder movement, chain fusée, musical pin barrel, the engine-turned gilt dial with Breguet numerals on blank chapter ring surrounded by two light blue enamel rings, blued steel moon-style hands, the glazed back with a painted polychrome enamel scene depicting a classical landscape, surmounted by a vari-coloured gold automaton scene depicting a peasant seated under a tree, playing a mandolin and tapping his foot while a lady is coming out of the house, holding a wreath of flowers is dancing back and forth, a grazing sheep moving its head up and down to the left, all in unison with the music and activated by depressing a button in the pendant, movement band signed, numbered underneath the dial
57 mm. diam.

Provenance

Collection Léon Leroy
Léon Leroy (1876-1961) was a direct descendant of the famous French watchmaking dynasty of the Leroy family founded in 1785 by Charles Bazile Leroy.

The business was taken over by Léon Leroy in 1935 after the death of Louis Leroy and was directed by him until his death in 1961 when he was succeeded by his brothers Pierre and Philippe.

Léon Leroy devoted a large part of his time to collecting books on the history of French horology. His collection, containing numerous items of greatest rarity, was offered at public auction in Paris in 1982.

Literature

Illustrated in Les Automates by Alfred Chapuis, Edmond Droz, p. 186, pl. 206.

Lot Essay

Henry-Daniel Capt (1773 - 1837)
Henry-Daniel or Henry Capt was one of the leading manufacturers of musical automata at the end of the 18th and beginning of 19th century. He specialized in the production of complicated watches, musical and automaton timepieces, and was one of the first in Geneva to use the pinned cylinder and tuned-tooth comb musical mechanism.

Born in Chenit in the Vallée de Joux in April 1773, he was the son of Jacques Samuel Capt and Susanne Piguet. On 1 January 1796, he married Henriette Piguet. Around 1789 Capt settled in Geneva and worked for several renowned companies such as Jaquet-Droz, Godet. Leschot and his brother-in-law Isaac Daniel Piguet.

When Piguet left to enter a partnership with Philippe-Samuel Meylan in 1811, Henri Capt continued to work first on his own, later with his son Charles Henri, until around 1830, when he joined forces with Aubert and son, Place Bel-Air in Geneva.

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