Swiss gold automaton watch ‘The Dairy Maid’ Circa 1810

Rare unusual gold and enamel automaton watch
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A rare Swiss unusual gold and enamel automaton watch, ‘The Dairy Maid’, circa 1810, gilt fusee movement with verge escapement, two-trains, pierced and engraved balance bridge with scrolls, the three-motion automaton consisting of vari-color gold figures including a dairy maid churning butter, a nodding cow and a windmill on a bluff with rotating sails, standing on a vari-color gold ground with two sheep resting below, applied to a poly-chrome painted enamel architectural lake scene, small white enamel dial at 12 o’clock with Arabic numerals, gold case, movement signed, case and movement numbered, maker’s mark with a star between CL.
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Diameter: 54 mm
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Signed: Louis Duchene & Fils
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Known for his automata and musical objects, Louis Duchene (1730-1804) hailed from Geneva and partnered with his son in 1791 to create Louis Duchene & Fils. Over the next several decades the company created exceptional automata, repeating and musical watches for the European and Chinese market. This watch is a finely crafted example of such a piece, featuring a rare scene with a butter churning maid and a wide expanse of landscape including an automaton windmill.Dents overall