Swiss automaton carrousel with animated figures Circa 1790

Gold open faced verge with carrousel 
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An important Swiss 18 carat gold and enamel automaton carrousel verge pocket watch with animated figures, circa 1790. Full plate movement, keywind, chain/fusee. White enamel dial, eccentric hour chapter ring with Arabic numerals, visible balance with polished steel arms at 10, scale for adjusting device at 2. Glazed case back decorated with champlevé enamel, a cut out sector at 12 shows the performing automaton with three multi-coloured, moving enamel figures that take turns to appear in the window in the space of a minute: a painted parkland with animated fountain and well, than a peasant in period garments pushing a loaded handcart with a moving wheel, he is followed by a heavily loaded donkey moving its head up and down and two young men on a rocking seesaw.
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Diameter: 56 mm
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Weight: 106 g
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Signed: Bouvier Frères Genève
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This kind of performing automaton with moving figures is incredibly rare. A very similar example is owned by the Patek Philippe Museum, another pocket watch of the same type was sold at an auction in 1981. The watch was signed ‘Roux Roman et Bordier & Compagnie’ and estimated at 100,000 – 130,000 DM. A third watch like it, also by Bouvier Frères, but without moving figures and a similar one is part of the Sir David Salomon.
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Bouvier Frères are known for their high quality watches with fine automatons which they produced mainly for the English and French markets.