ISAAC DANIEL PIGUET "THE HEART" EXCEPTIONAL
MUSICAL WATCH WITH SEE-SAW MUSICIAN & WINDMILL AUTOMATONS
Isaac Daniel Piguet, Genève, No. 549. Made for the Eastern market, circa 1820.
Extremely rare and important, musical, gold, painted on enamel, pearl and turquoise-set heart-shaped quarter-repeating
watch with three automaton actions - see-saw, musician and windmill, activated at will.
Two-body, massive, heart-shaped, hinged at the top, entirely set with curving alternate rows of graduated
half-pearls, split-pearl-set bezel, pendant decorated with blue champlevé enamel lines and pearl terminal, split-
pearl-set bow, the interior with fine turquoise, blue and white champlevé enamel and gold foliate scroll border
surrounding the automaton.
WATCH Matte and polished gold with radial Roman numerals, outer dot minute indexes, engine-turned center.
Blued steel Breguet hands. AUTOMATON Finely painted on enamel with a river landscape and trees, a chateau
on the far shore, a windmill on a small hill with gold automaton sails, in the foreground two varicolored gold
children play on an automated see-saw, to the right a lady with automated arm plays the guitar seated on a grassy
bank with a dog lying at her feet, apertures for winding and hand-setting with gold paillon indications.
44.5 mm. gilt brass, standing barrel, cylinder escapement with inverted escape wheel, three-arm plain brass
balance with flat balance spring, polished steel end-piece, index regulator protruding from the edge of the automaton
scene, repeating on gongs activated by depressing the pendant, early sur plateau musical mechanism with
fixed barrel and 17 blued steel tuned teeth acting on both sides of the pinned disc, activated by a button on the
side of the case.
Case punch numbered on the interior of each half 549, movement scratch signed "Isàc D.el Piguet, Genève"
on the dial plate beneath the musical teeth, movement punched with the serial number 549, pinned disk also
punched with the serial number and additional number 08.