Historic 18 Karat Tricolor Gold Open Face Jacquemart Automaton Quarter Repeater Pocket Watch
Record status
Individual type · partial
Period
Bearing Date Mark for 1805
This open-face quarter repeater pocket watch measures 50.00 mm in diameter and is housed in an 18 karat gold case. It features a central white enamel dial marked with black Arabic numerals and a minute track, surrounded by ornate tricolor gold Jacquemart automaton figures representing Orpheus and Eurydice striking bells.
Below them sits a representation of the altar of Cupid flanked by doves. The movement employs a fusee with chain and a verge escapement, with repeating functionality actuated by pressing the crown and stem. The watch is presented in a fitted tooled leather case alongside a figural winding key.
Evidence at a glance
- Linked sources
- 1
- Photograph views
- 1
- Catalogue references
- 0
Counts describe this entry’s documentation, not authenticity, rarity or completeness. Photographs may show one specimen; check each caption and licence.
Technical characteristics
- Type
- Jacquemart automaton quarter repeater pocket watch
- Engraving
- Mq de La Fayette
- Escapement
- Verge escapement
- Case Diameter
- 50.00 mm
- Place recorded
- Austria
- Inner Case Stamp
- A_(obcured)1258 K18 II
- Maker / attribution
- IK or JK
Design
- Visible features
- • Central white enamel time dial with winding aperture positioned near the two o'clock index. • Tricolor gold automaton figures of Orpheus and Eurydice flanking the dial beside top bells. • Accompanied by a fitted brown leather presentation box containing an engraved circular silver plaque and a figural yellow gold winding key.
- Provenance and Documentation
- The auction record states the watch is purportedly owned by the Marquis de Lafayette (1757-1834) by repute. It was included in a 2007 exhibition at Lafayette College titled 'A Son and his Adoptive Father', the Marquis de Lafayette and George Washington. The watch is accompanied by a silver plaque engraved with an inscription referencing the Marquis and the date 1805, alongside a figural winding key shaped like General Lafayette.
- Dial and Automaton Configuration
- The timepiece features a central white enamel dial with black Arabic numerals and an outer chapter ring calibrated to 60 minutes. The dial includes a gold outer border. The watch is decorated with tricolor gold Jacquemart automaton figures depicting Orpheus and Eurydice. These figures are positioned to strike bells above an altar of Cupid with doves and a flower basket.
- Construction and Internal Mechanism
- The watch is housed in an 18 karat gold case measuring 50.00 mm in diameter. The back cover is a guilloche design featuring a cartouche engraved with the initials 'M de'. The internal mechanism consists of a fusee with chain and a verge escapement. The quarter-repeating function is activated by depressing the crown and stem. The watch includes a gilt brass cuvette with a decorative figural hinge and an inner case back stamped with the sequence: A_(obcured)1258 K18 II.
Identification
- Serial number
- 1258
- Source note
- Facts transcribed from the linked source listing or collection record. Attribution and specifications are source-reported and have not been independently authenticated.
Catalogue references
No catalogue numbers recorded. Numbers are only published once transcribed from a verified edition of a standard catalogue — they are never inferred.
Research required
- Research required: Ownership by the Marquis de Lafayette is noted by the auction house as reputed and purported rather than definitively verified.
- Research required: Internal movement, cuvette, and case back are not visible in the provided image.
- Research required: Case back stamp contains an obscured letter.