Live Auction 1417Rare Watches Including Nautilus 40 Part II
Ducommun. A fine and rare 18K gold quarter repeating verge watch with three jacquemarts
Lot 76

Ducommun. A fine and rare 18K gold quarter repeating verge watch with three jacquemarts

Signed Ducommun, no. 43907, circa 1820

Closed14 November 2016

Price Realised

CHF 8,750

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Ducommun. A fine and rare 18K gold quarter repeating verge watch with three jacquemarts
Signed Ducommun, no. 43907, circa 1820
MOVEMENT: manual, chain fusée, verge escapement, quarter repeating with two hammers on two gongs
DIAL: small white enamel, Arabic numerals, chased gold Jacks in Roman costume on each side of the dial appearing to strike the hours and quarters on two bells, a small gold appliqué below the dial of a putto with love trophies striking a further bell, royal blue enamel ground
CASE: 18K gold, reeded band, repeating through the pendant, locking slide for the repeating at 2 o’clock, 55 mm. diam.
SIGNED: cuvette and movement ring signed Ducommun and numbered 43907, case also numbered 43907 and 5383

Specialist note

Jaquemarts have a long tradition and figure already in the first edition of the French National Academy's dictionary, which appeared in 1694, with the following definition:

"JAQUEMART. Figure de fer ou de fonte, representant un homme arm, laquelle on met d'ordinaire sur le haut d'une tour pour frapper les heures avec un marteau sur la cloche de l'horloge."
Figure made of solid or cast iron representing a man in arms, which is usually put up on top of a (clock) tower to strike the hours with a hammer onto the bell of the clock."

Watches decorated with the miniature versions of these clock tower "men in arms" are as popular today as they were in the 19th century.