Swiss gold-plated watch with automaton and alarm Circa 1980

Gold-plated lever musical pocket watch
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A fine Swiss gold-plated open faced musical centre seconds keyless lever pocket watch automaton with alarm, circa 1980. Accompanied by a lyre-shaped key and a fitted Reuge box. A polished bezel, reeded band, the hinged back cover is engraved with a musical trophy against a sunray background and a button to set the alarm at 11 o’clock. Solid cuvette with an aperture for winding the music and a button for activating the music. Small white enamel dial with painted Arabic hours, outer minute divisions and gilt Breguet hands.
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A polychrome painted view of a country landscape with an applied gilt metal automaton of a lady operating a water pump with moving water, a gentleman on horseback with a hawk on his moving left arm and the horse with an animated head drinking from the fountain, gilt metal foliage with two dogs and a basket in the foreground. Matte gilt movement, 17 jewels, straight-line lever escapement, monometallic balance, flat balance spring, shock absorber, index regulator. Dial and cuvette signed.
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Diameter: 57 mm
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Signed: Charles Reuge Sainte-Croix
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The origins of Reuge date back to 1865 when Charles Reuge set up a musical pocket watch shop in the Swiss Mountain town of Sainte-Croix. By 1886 his son, Albert Reuge opened a music box workshop, the company experienced success and their mechanisms were to be found in a range of products such as powder compacts and cigarette lighters. By 1930 Guido Reuge had built the Reuge factory and he guided the company for over 60 years. Today Reuge retains its historical elements still producing singing birds but moving with the times, their music boxes today come in traditional but also modern and innovative designs.