Swiss gold quarter repeater with two Jacquemarts Circa 1810

Gold open faced verge pocket watch
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An important, large and historically interesting gold enamel pocket watch with two Jacquemarts and three automatons “The Angler/ Fisherman at the Mill”, Switzerland, circa 1810. An 18K gold, stepped, plain, back with historically interesting gift dedication: “To the Mashrak-el-Azkar – In Memoriam Julius A. de Lagnel 1827-1912”, dated 12. November 1917, bell, very fine verge movement, repeating the hours and quarter hours, original dome with spring lid, face with automaton of fantastic quality and condition, in the background polychrome enamelled representation of an alpine landscape with farms, automaton “à quatre couleurs” with applied figure of an angler at a mill and a rotating mill wheel at a flowing water, upper part also “à quatre couleurs” with two Jacquemarts as striking putti on a bell, central white enamel dial and extravagant Breguet hands, in very good condition, extremely rare.

However, this watch is much finer and more detailed in the construction of the automaton, and the condition of the watch is of higher quality. The watch is historically important for two reasons. According to the inscription on the back the watch was a gift in memory of Julius Adolph de Lagnel.
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Diameter: 57 mm
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Weight: 135 g
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Signed: No name
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Julius Adolph de Lagnel (*24 July 1827 in Newark, New Jersey; †3 June 1912 in Washington, D.C.) was a confederate brigadier general in the American Civil War. In 1861 he retired from active military service, but joined the confederate states army as a captain after the start of the Civil War in 1861. At the battle of Rich Mountain on 11 July 1861, he was seriously wounded and rescued by a local resident. When he tried to return to his unit, dressed as a shepherd, he was captured and released in exchange on 13 December 1861. In March 1862 he became a commander of an army unit and kept this position despite his promotion to a brigadier general on 15 April 1862. After an illness in July and August 1862, he was initially incapable of fighting and worked then in the office until the end of the war. After the end of the war, de Lagnel worked for a steamboat company in the Pacific. 2. “Mashrak-el-Azkar” is the name of the 1st Bahai temple in the USA. The Bahai temples are the sacred buildings of the Bahai.

We only know of 2 another pieces with identical automaton, estimated price €60,000-75,000 and sold for €120,000.