Swiss 18K gold quarter repeating automaton watch Circa 1820

Gold open faced key wound cylinder watch
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A rare Swiss 18 carat yellow gold open faced quarter repeating automaton pocket watch made for the Ottoman market, circa 1810. It has a key wound mechanical movement with a cylinder escapement, fusee and chain, striking on gongs, and a chased and pierced balance cock with a regulator disc. The ring shaped white enamel dial features Turkish numerals, blued steel Breguet style hands, and a skeletonized centre revealing the movement cogs. The dial sits against a blued steel plate decorated with a chased automaton scene in multicoloured gold. This shows two figures in classical costume striking bells for the hours and quarters, above an aperture below the dial where a swan swims in unison with the striking mechanism activated by the pendant.
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The timepiece is housed in a round, hinged 18 carat gold open faced case with a fluted caseband. It has a slide/brake lever for the striking mechanism on the edge, a case maker’s hallmark inside, an engine turned back cover, a gilded inner dust cover with an aperture for the winding square, and a pendant activated striking mechanism.
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Diameter: 55 mm
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Weight: 134.2 g
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Signed: No name
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In the Ottoman Empire, the swan is a deeply meaningful symbol rooted in its majestic physical traits and the broader spiritual values of the Islamic world. Celebrated throughout Ottoman art and poetry for its pure white plumage and noble posture, the swan embodies ideal beauty, grace, and romantic purity. Beyond these aesthetic associations, the bird holds a distinct mystical resonance, especially in Sufism. Its serene nature and immaculate whiteness serve as a metaphor for spiritual purification, representing the soul’s inner quest for tranquillity, perfection, and ultimate divine union.