Jean-Georges Rémond and attributed to Piguet & Capt. A very fine and rare 18K gold and enamel musical snuff box with watch

With fitted presentation box containing three keys of different sizes for the winding of the musical movement and the winding and regulating of the watch movement. It furthermore contains a hand-written note stating that the "musical box and watch was presented to S. Weis Lewis by Punhaequa (Hong Merchant & Mandarin) as an evidence of regard - Canton, April 1840" as well as instructions regarding the winding of the movements.

The lavish case is the work of one of Geneva's most celebrated casemakers, Jean-Georges Rémond or Reymond, renowned monteur de boîtes en or or maker of gold cases. In 1790 he founded Georges Rémond & Cie., excelling in elaborate gold cases for watches and snuff boxes, often destined for the export to the Orient. Rémond & Cie. worked for Piguet & Capt, Jaquet-Droz & Leschot, Frisard and Les Frères Rochat, the cases often decorated with enamel scenes by Lissignol, Richter, Dupont and others.

The movements are made in the manner of the renowned watchmakers and goldsmiths Isaac Daniel Piguet (1775-1841) and Henry Capt (1773-1841), in partnership from 1802-1811, specialized in musical and automaton watches also for the Chinese market. Capt, Piguet's brother-in-law, was one of the first in Geneva to use the pinned cylinder and tuned-tooth comb musical mechanism.