Swiss 18K gold and enamel automaton verge watch Circa 1810

A Swiss gold and painted enamel open faced watch with automata representing La Forge with three animated characters, circa 1810. Gilt movement with key winding, double gear train, verge escapement, blued balance spring fusee and chain, independent mechanism for triggering the automata.
White enamel dial with Roman numerals for the hours and Arabic numerals for the minutes, double opening for the winding square.
18 Carat gold round case, double sided, the glass back with a landscape painted in polychrome enamel surmounted by a scene of a multi coloured gold automaton representing a blacksmith’s workshop, a blacksmith fanning the flames, another forging iron on an anvil while a jet of water flows from the fountain, the whole activated by an independent mechanism.
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Diameter: 54 mm
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Weight: 118.9 g
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Signed: Attributed to Humbert & Mairet
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This watch is a very fine example of an automaton watch made in Geneva around 1800, it can perhaps be attributed to the firm Humbert & Mairet.

Humbert & Mairet was a Geneva watchmaking house active in the late 18th and early 19th centuries, specializing in the creation of automaton watches. These exceptional pieces combined the art of watchmaking with animated mechanisms, offering miniature scenes in motion.
The name Humbert & Mairet is mentioned in the Dictionnaire des Horlogers Genevois. In the description of the work of this watchmaker, the automaton watch with the scene of “La Forge” is mentioned.

Notable among their achievements is an 18 karat gold watch with a double dial, dated circa 1800. The main dial displays the time, while the back features an animated scene representing a blacksmith’s workshop. In this scene, a blacksmith activates the bellows, another forges metal on the anvil, and a fountain lets a trickle of water flow, all activated by a side lever.
These watches were prized for their technical complexity and refined aesthetics, illustrating Geneva’s expertise in watchmaking and automata.Today, all watch creations with automata from the early 19th century are rare and highly sought after by collectors, testifying to the ingenuity and craftsmanship or art of watchmaking of this period.

The first automata appeared in Geneva in the 18th century, small technical marvels imitating the movements of living beings or creatures, ranging from simple “Bras en l’Air” figures whose arms indicated the time to incredibly complex works such as pastoral, theatrical or other scenes. Some of these automata were equipped with repeating or musical mechanisms and were highly appreciated works of art not only in Europe but also by Chinese and Ottoman dignitaries.

This watch is a fine example of such an automaton watch made in Geneva around 1800, featuring three automata: a blacksmith fanning the flames, another forging the iron, while simultaneously a jet of water flows realistically from the fountain.
The multi-coloured gold scene is of admirable quality and impresses with its fine sculpted details, enhanced by the painted enamel landscape in the background, demonstrating the famous art of enamel miniatures originating in Geneva in the early 19th century.