Juvet. A rare and attractive silver gilt, enamel and pearl-set mirror-image pair of openface centre seconds lever watches, made for the Chinese market
Lot 39

Juvet. A rare and attractive silver gilt, enamel and pearl-set mirror-image pair of openface centre seconds lever watches, made for the Chinese market

SIGNED JUVET, NO. 330079 AND 330084, STAMPED WITH LONDON DATE LETTER FOR 1865

Closed12 November 2012

Price Realised

CHF 43,750

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Juvet. A rare and attractive silver gilt, enamel and pearl-set mirror-image pair of openface centre seconds lever watches, made for the Chinese market
Signed Juvet, no. 330079 and 330084, stamped with London date letter for 1865
Finely engraved floral and scroll decorated gilt-finished jewelled keywound lever movements, bimetallic compensation balances, hinged glazed display cuvettes, white enamel dials, Roman numerals, blued steel spade hands, centre seconds, large circular cases, ribbed bands, pearl-set bezels and rims, engine-turned backs decorated with finely painted, mirror-image polychrome enamel portraits of a lady over translucent Royal blue background, both cases signed with Juvet's Chinese signature and numbered 330079 and 330084, dials and movements signed with Juvet's Chinese signature
55.5 mm. diams. (2)

Specialist note

With original fitted presentation box, the cover stamped with Juvet's Chinese signature, containing two spare main springs and one spare crystal.

The present watches are another fine and rare example of a mirror-image pair made for the Chinese market. Although not a pair in the strict sense of the word as the numbers, 330079 and 330084, are neither identical nor consecutive but five digits apart, the watches are evidently from the same series, both stamped with the London date letter for 1865 and featuring the (mirror-image) portrait of the same lady. It can be presumed that one of the watches from the original pair was either lost or irreparably damaged and consequently exchanged by one of the present pieces.

The watches are preserved in very good overall condition, the rarity enhanced by the presence of a fitted box.