Louis Audemars Astronomical Orrery-Type Double-Face Watch
Record status
Individual type · partial
Period
circa 1870
This 18K gold and enamel astronomical orrery-type double-face watch is attributed to Louis Audemars of Brassus and Geneva, circa 1870. The timepiece features a double-face construction with a white enamel dial on one side, displaying two eccentric radial Roman chapters, subsidiary Arabic and Islamic numeral chapters, day of the week, date, and month indications.
The reverse features an ornate hinged enamel cover depicting an astronomical display, including a blued steel plate engraved with hours and seasonal corrections, gold sun and moon, and gold stars against a blue enamel sky, with lower engravings depicting the horses of Helios and Ceres. The watch is powered by a frosted gilt, bar caliber movement with 19 jewels, a hanging barrel, a lateral counterpoised lever escapement, and a cut-bimetallic compensation balance.
The case, measuring 55 mm in diameter, incorporates pushpieces in the band for the manual adjustment of calendar and astronomical functions.
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
- Date
- circa 1870
- Type
- Astronomical orrery-type double-face watch
- Maker
- Attributable to Louis Audemars
- Escapement
- Lateral counterpoised lever
- Jewel Count
- 19
- Case Diameter
- 55 mm
- Case Material
- 18K gold and enamel
- Movement Type
- Frosted gilt, bar caliber
- Place recorded
- Switzerland
- Maker / attribution
- Louis Audemars
Design
- Visible features
- • Pushpieces are located on the case band for manual setting of astronomical and calendar indications. • The reverse dial features pictorial enamel work including the horses of Helios and Ceres. • The watch includes dual time zone functionality and moon phase information. • The movement is a frosted gilt, bar caliber with 19 jewels.
- Movement and Mechanics
- The internal movement is a 43 mm (19 ligne) frosted gilt, bar caliber mechanism. It utilizes a hanging barrel and contains 19 jewels. The escapement is a lateral counterpoised lever type, complemented by a cut-bimetallic compensation balance with a Breguet balance spring. A significant feature of the movement is the double setting mechanism, which facilitates the adjustment of the calendar and astronomical indications. The watch is classified by the auction description as an orrery-type, incorporating astronomical complications including phases of the moon, moon rise and set, and sunrise and sunset calculated for the latitude of Geneva.
- Case and Dial Construction
- The watch features a three-body "bassine et filets" case in 18K gold and enamel. The band of the case is equipped with pushpieces intended for the manual settings of the calendar and astronomical indications. The case measures 55 mm in diameter. The white enamel dial features two eccentric radial Roman chapters for double time zones, with outer minute divisions. The centers of these chapters are sunk and contain additional Arabic numerals on the right and Islamic numerals on the left. The dial also incorporates a sunk day of the week indicator at the top, a date display concentric with subsidiary sunk seconds below, and months indicated on the outer periphery.
- Reverse Astronomical Display
- The reverse side of the watch includes a hinged gold and enamel cover that serves as an astronomical display. At the top of this display is a cut semicircle fitted with a blued steel plate engraved with hours and seasonal corrections. Within this semicircle, a gold sun and a blued steel and gold moon travel across the sky. The lower section of the reverse display features decorative engraving, showing the horses of Helios and the figure of Ceres with a cornucopia. The sky is rendered in blue enamel with gold stars, while the sunrise area includes fire painted in translucent red and yellow enamel.
Identification
- Lot Identifier
- 158
- 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: The exact date of manufacture is attributed rather than confirmed.
- Research required: The specific attribution to Louis Audemars is stated as 'attributable to' rather than definitively signed or documented.