Swiss quarter repeating musical pocket watch Circa 1810

Gold pocket watch probably by Piguet & Meylan
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An exquisite Swiss gold quarter repeating musical watch with a polychrome enamel painted dial, circa 1810. The watch features a gilded movement with a cylinder escapement, a plain three-arm balance, and standing barrels for the going and music trains. The polychrome enamel painted dial features a captivating scene of a lady strumming a lyre beside a serene lake, complemented by a gilded engine-turned centre dial with Roman numerals and blued steel moon hands. The case is made of gold and features a radiating engine-turned stylized shell-form centre on the back, with a small oval blank cartouche surrounded by three concentric rings. One of the rings is engraved with floral swags, another with engine-turning, and the outer ring has roundels within wave-form borders. The band is intricately chased and engraved with flowers and foliage and bears the case maker’s mark, I.E., within a diamond-shaped cartouche. The gilt metal cuvette has separate apertures for winding, going, and musical trains, as well as for the handset, and is signed Js. Ruegger à Genève.
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Diameter: 58 mm
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Signed: No name
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The dial exhibits very light hairline cracks towards the centre of the musical score, with some enamel repair needed at the lower right-hand corner. The case shows signs of rubbing and loss of definition to the outermost engraved border, but the decorative scheme remains clear. The movement is running and repeating, although the music is not playing at the moment.
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While musical watches during this period are not inherently unusual, what makes this piece stand out is the fact that a miniaturised version of a music score has been enamelled on the dial. making this, in many ways, the non-plus ultra of musical watches.