Swiss

A gold, enamel and diamond-set pendant watch in the form of a beetle, Circa 1900

Auction Closed

December 6, 09:17 PM GMT

Estimate

5,000 - 10,000 USD

Lot Details

Description

· unsigned nickel finished bar-form movement, cylinder escapement, plain balance, glazed cuvette

· white enamel dial, black Arabic numerals with red ‘12’, outer minute ring

· gold, in the form of a scarab beetle, hinged wings overlaid with translucent green flinqué enamel and diamond-set scroll highlights, black enamel thorax set with a single diamond, the wings released via pusher to tail-end, the reverse naturalistically chased and engraved with the insect’s abdomen and legs

length 53mm

Sotheby’s New York, 15 June 1992, lot 122D.

Pendants and brooches in the form of beetles were a popular style of novelty watch in the late 19 and early 20 centuries and were made by a variety of makers. The finest examples, such as the present watch, have highly decorated cases enhanced with enamels and precious stones, while the insect’s abdomen and legs are naturalistically chased and engraved to their underside. A pusher at the lower end of the insect releases the wings, which spring open with a satisfying action, splaying outwards to reveal a small white enamel dial. Similar examples made by Vacheron Constantin can be seen in archival images dating to 1910 that are illustrated in Lambelet, Carole & Coen, Lorette, The World of Vacheron Constantin, Lausanne: Editions Scriptar S.A., 1992, p. 326.