Piguet & Meylan 18K gold, pearl and enamel-set quarter repeating 'Barking Dog' automaton watch
Record status
Individual type · partial
Period
circa 1815
This openface pocket watch by Isaac Daniel Piguet and Philippe Meylan features a quarter-repeating barking mechanism with round bellows and whistle activated through the pendant.
Catalogued to circa 1815 for the Chinese market, the movement is a gilt brass half-plate with a cylinder escapement and standing barrel. The front shows an eccentric white enamel dial set within dark blue translucent guilloché enamel and adorned with chased gold and silver automaton figures depicting a dog barking at a swan. Its gold case features split pearl-set bezels and champlevé enamel on the band.
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
- Musical & automaton watch
- Escapement
- Cylinder escapement
- Case Diameter
- 59 mm
- Place recorded
- Switzerland
- Maker Signature
- I.D. Piguet et P. Meylan, Genève
- Movement Number
- 146
- Maker / attribution
- I.D. Piguet et P. Meylan
- Attributed Enameller
- Jean-François-Victor Dupont
Design
- Visible features
- • Front bezel is adorned with a continuous circle of split pearls. • Eccentric white enamel dial features Roman hour numerals and Arabic five-minute numerals. • Foreground features applied chased silver and gold automaton figures of a dog barking at a swan. • Dial plate background is finished in dark blue translucent guilloché enamel. • The visible case band is decorated with champlevé enamel scroll and diamond patterns.
- Dial and Automaton Presentation
- The watch features an eccentric white enamel dial displaying Roman numerals for the hours alongside Arabic five-minute graduations. The dial is set against a dial plate finished in dark blue translucent guilloché enamel. In the foreground, applied and chased varicolored gold and silver automaton figures represent a dog barking at a swan. According to source documentation, 'the dog moves its head with each movement of the bellows'. The dial plate is also catalogued as scratched signed 'par I. D. Piguet et P. Meylan à Genève'.
- Reported Movement and Mechanism
- The movement is not visible in the single front photograph. Cataloguing notes describe it as a manual gilt brass half-plate caliber featuring a standing barrel, cylinder escapement, and repeating barking mechanism, stamped 'P&M' and '146'. The repeating barking mechanism is recorded as utilizing 'round bellows and whistle activated by depressing the pendant'.
- Case Construction and Decorative Details
- The 59 mm four-body case displays a front bezel adorned with a continuous circle of split pearls and a case band decorated with champlevé enamel scroll and diamond patterns. The auction listing records a locking bolt for repeating at 2 o'clock and an 'aperture for the sound with a shutter at 6 o'clock which opens during repeating'. The interior of the back panel is stamped with the casemaker's mark 'L.E' in a lozenge, and the gilt hinged cuvette is signed and stamped inside with the makers' mark. The reverse of the case, while not visible in the provided image, is described in source documentation as painted with an enamel scene depicting a couple holding a butterfly with a castle and mountains in the background, attributed by the cataloguer to Jean-François-Victor Dupont.
Identification
- Serial number
- 146
- 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 movement and the painted enamel back cover scene depicting a couple holding a butterfly are not visible in this single front image.
- Research required: The attribution of the enamel painting to Jean-François-Victor Dupont is source-reported and not signed.