Swiss 18K gold and enamel automaton verge watch Circa 1810

Gold open faced key winding verge watch
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A fine Swiss 18 carat gold and painted enamel double sided pocket watch featuring an intricate La Forge (The Forge) automaton with three animated characters, attributed to Humbert & Mairet, circa 1810. It has a mechanical key winding gilded movement with a double gear train, a verge escapement, a blued balance spring fusee and chain, and an independent mechanism to trigger the automata. The white enamel dial features an opening for the winding squares, black Roman numerals for the hours, Arabic numerals for the minutes, and spade hands.
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The exceptional timepiece is housed in a refined round hinged 18 carat gold case. The reverse back cover is glazed to reveal a beautifully painted polychrome enamel landscape. This is surmounted by a multicoloured gold automaton scene depicting a blacksmith’s workshop. A blacksmith fans the flames while another forges iron on an anvil as a dynamic jet of water flows from a fountain. The entire scene is activated by the independent automaton mechanism.
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Diameter: 54 mm
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Weight: 119 g
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Signed: Attributed to Humbert & Mairet
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This watch is a fine example of an automaton watch made in Geneva around 1800. It can be attributed to the firm Humbert & Mairet.
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Humbert & Mairet was a prestigious Geneva watchmaking house active in the late 18th and early 19th centuries, celebrated for their mastery of automaton watches. These miniature technical marvels combined advanced watchmaking with animated mechanisms, captivating elite collectors across Europe and Chinese and Ottoman dignitaries. The firm is noted in the Dictionnaire des Horlogers Genevois for its iconic La Forge (The Forge) automaton scene. This rare timepiece is a masterful example of that heritage, featuring three lifelike, multicoloured gold characters performing synchronized tasks against a beautifully painted enamel landscape. Representing the pinnacle of early 19th century Geneva craftsmanship and miniature painting, such complex automaton watches remain rare and highly sought after by connoisseurs today.