Beschreibung:

Attributed to Charles Ducommun. An extremely fine, very rare, large and important 18K pink gold, enamel and pearl-set openface quarter repeating watch with virgule escapement and varicoloured gold automaton depicting Moses striking the rock Swiss, attributed to Charles Ducommun, case stamped FTD and numbered 4536, circa 1800 Movement: Manual, full plate with fixed barrel, virgule escapement, skeletonized polished steel cock, highly polished steel repeating work set on the backplate, repeating on a bell activated by depressing the pendant, the automaton activated by depressing the same pendant, after switching a lever protruding from under the dial at 1 o’clock Dial: Small eccentric white enamel, applied varicoloured gold automaton scene depicting the prophet Moses striking the rock with the staff in his right hand, after the second stroke the rock opens, revealing a waterfall with realistically flowing water, two kneeling Israelites drinking water from their chalices, a polychrome enamelled scene depicting the people of Israel beneath the Eye of God in the background, an oval aperture below framed by graduated split pearls revealing two putti flanking an altar to love striking a bell in unison with the repeating Case: Three body, the bell mounted in an unusual way to the band, repeating and automaton activated by depressing the pendant, mode chosen by a slide in the band, when set to repeating the hours and quarters are struck in unison by the two putti, when set to automaton Moses strikes the rock, case punched with casemaker's initials ‘FTD’ and numbered 4536, punched with Neuchâtel chevron gold mark, 66 mm. diam.