Live Auction 1391Important Watches, including A Gentleman's Pursuit for Excellence, Part I
Bovet. A fine, rare and attractive silver gilt, enamel and pearl-set openface centre seconds lever watch, made for the Chinese market
Lot 36

Bovet. A fine, rare and attractive silver gilt, enamel and pearl-set openface centre seconds lever watch, made for the Chinese market

SIGNED BOVET, FLEURIER, NO. 3217, CIRCA 1870

Closed12 November 2012

Price Realised

CHF 40,000

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Bovet. A fine, rare and attractive silver gilt, enamel and pearl-set openface centre seconds lever watch, made for the Chinese market
Signed Bovet, Fleurier, no. 3217, circa 1870
Mirror-polished steel keywound movement, lateral lever escapement with horn-shaped ending, hinged glazed display cuvette, white enamel dial, Roman numerals, centre seconds, large circular case, pearl-set bezel, rim, pendant and bow, a finely painted polychrome enamel scene depicting a lion hunt to the back, case stamped with Bovet's Chinese signature, movement signed, rim of case back and cuvette numbered 3217
57 mm. diam.

Specialist note

The particularity of the present lever movement is the openwork horn-shaped ending of the pallet fork, a symbol used in Chinese mythology as a defence against demons.

For other examples of watches decorated with hunting scenes see Bovet 1822 - The Imperial Art of Watchmaking - Bovet Private Collection, pp. 142 - 152.