Swiss gold lever for the South American market Circa 1870

Gold, enamel and diamond set key less lever by Henri Grandjean
–
A very fine and rare Swiss 18 carat gold, enamel and diamond-set keyless lever pocket watch made for the South American market, circa 1870. Matte gilt ¾ plate movement, jewelled to the third wheel, wolf’s tooth winding, lateral lever escapement, cut bimetallic compensation balance, blued steel Breguet balance spring, index regulator. Hinged gold cuvette with engraved border. Engraved silver dial with painted Roman numerals, the centre and outer border with applied gold foliate decoration, subsidiary seconds, original blued steel spade hands. Case with a reeded band, the front cover decorated with a finely painted en grisaille enamel cartouche on a translucent royal blue enamel ground, the centre with a polychrome putto within a rectangular rose cut diamond-set border, outer black champlevé enamel border with engraved gold anthemions, the back cover decorated en suite. Dial, cuvette and movement signed. Accompanied by a numbered white enamel alternative dial and the original fitted presentation box.
–
Diameter: 43 mm
–
Signed: Hri. Grandjean & Cie Locle & London
–
A grisaille (en grisaille), or grey painting, is a painting in which one does not apply natural colours but restricts oneself to depicting things in all possible shades of the same colour, usually grey or brown.
–
In sculpture and painting, a putto (plural: putti) is a plump child figure, almost always male and usually naked. If the child has wings, it is also called a cherub. Putti are mainly found in Renaissance, Baroque and rococo art.