Swiss 18K gold bras en l’air verge pocket watch Circa 1800

Gold verge automaton
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An extremely rare bras en l’air automaton in the original presentation box made in Switzerland, circa 1800. The plain open faced case of this pocket watch, which was crafted from 18 carat gold, is numbered. Its face has a Bras en l’air automaton, which shows the time with its movable arms, the especially fine polychrome enamel painting in the lower half of the dial depicts a maritime scene and has sectors with Arabic numerals for the hours on the right and the minutes on the left. The full plate movement has a verge escapement. The automaton is activated by pressing the pendant.
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Diameter: 57.5 mm
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Weight: 101 g
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Signed: No name
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 Bras en l’air automata are, in principle, extremely rare. This one, however, is an absolute rarity. Only a few examples are known, both in gold and with an enamel painting. One of them was in the famous Sandberg collection.
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Bras en l’air is a clock or watch in which the time is indicated by a human figure with moving arms that indicate the hours on the left and the minutes on the right on a vertical scale.