RARE EARLY AUTOMATON REPEATER
RARE EARLY AUTOMATON REPEATER
£13,500.00
Description
A rare early 18th Century English quarter repeating verge with automated champleve dial. Deep full plate fire gilt movement with turned baluster pillars. Fusee and chain with worm and wheel barrel setup between the plates. Pierced and engraved winged cock with mask, pierced and engraved foot. Plain steel balance, silver regulator disc. Push pendant quarter repeating on a bell in the case. Two polished steel hammers, engraved edge to the repeating resting barrel and deep edge to the dial plate. Silver champleve dial with Roman and Arabic numerals, blue steel beetle and poker hands. In the centre a pierced gilt representation of a bell over a blue steel ground. Either side of the bell are the engraved heads of dragons which appear to strike it when the watch is repeated. Silver inner case, pierced and engraved foliate scenes containing dragons and birds. Silver repousse outer case chased and engraved with a scene of Pomona, the Roman goddess of fruitful abundance. Pierced and engraved sections at the quarters separated by cartouches containing a dragon, fish bird of prey and a squirrel.
Jean François Poncet was a famous German watchmaker from Dresden. He was watchmaker to the duke of Saxony as well as to the king of Poland.We have not seen automaton work on the dial of a watch of this period. It pre-dates the examples found on continental quarter repeaters by almost a hundred years.
Signed Poncet London
Circa 1710
Diameter 56 mm
Depth 18.5 mm
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| Dimensions | 56mm |
Product REF: A10436
