Swiss gold repeating musical cylinder watch with automata Circa 1810

Gold repeating musical automaton attributed to Henry Capt
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A rare Swiss 18 carat gold open faced quarter repeating musical cylinder pocket watch with automata, Celebrating at the Winery, circa 1810. Full plate movement, two barrels, two hammers, two gongs, key wind, a cylinder escapement and three-arm brass balance. Four-colour gold dial with an automaton scene against a polychrome enamelled landscape, the enamel miniature shows a house overgrown with vine leaves situated among trees, the automaton in the front is executed in various shades of gold depicting a party of cheerful people in period dress sitting next to a large trellis overgrown with vine leaves, two gentlemen and a lady sitting at a round table drinking wine and moving to the sound of music, when the automaton is released the music starts playing and the figures begin to move, the lady plays the lute and the young man on the left beats the rhythm of the music on the table with his hand, the man on the right wearing a plumed tricorn hat moves his head back and forth and beats the rhythm of the music on the table with his wine bottle, a peripheral gilt and engine-turned dial with black Roman hours, an outer minute track and black heavy moon hands. The plain case with a reeded band, case maker’s mark ID, a button to activate the automaton at 5 o’clock. Case numbered.
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Diameter: 59 mm
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Weight: 141 g
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Signed: No name
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The automaton is almost certainly the work of the exceptional Geneva watchmaker Henry Capt, this charming and highly complex watch has several unusual features: the musical movement is housed between the plates with a pinned barrel instead of the usual sûr plateau type.
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Henry-Daniel Capt was an independent Swiss watchmaker who specialized in watches with additional complications such as musical watches and automatons. Capt was one of the first in Geneva to use barrels and crowns in his automatons. He was born in Chenit in the Vallée de Joux in April 1773, as the son of Jaques Samuel Capt and Susanne Piguet. His brother was Charles Samuel Capt. On January 1st, 1796, he married Henriette Piguet. In the Vallée de Joux, Capt trained as an établisseur. Around 1789, Henry settled in Geneva and worked for renowned companies such as Jaquet-Droz, Godet, Leschot and his brother-in-law Daniel Isaac Piguet. In 1802 he went into partnership with Daniel Isaac Piguet, which lasted until 1811. When this partnership ended, Capt kept producing his pieces before entering another partnership with Aubert et Fils in 1830 as Aubert & Capt, located in Place Bel-Air, Geneva. The firm was taken over by his son, Henry Capt, in 1844. He opened a shop on the Rue du Rhône in 1855, which quickly gained an excellent reputation. During the 1870s, the Henry Capt company advertised that they were the only Geneva watch manufacturer to have a branch retail house in London. He also established branches in Paris, Nice and New York. The house of Henry Capt flourished for many decades. Henry-Daniel Capt died in 1841.