Swiss gold repeater made for the Chinese market Circa 1820

Gold quarter repeating musical automaton 
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An extremely fine and equally rare Swiss 18K gold, enamel and pearl-set open faced quarter repeating centre seconds cylinder musical pocket watch with automaton made for the Chinese market, circa 1820. A musical watch with two automata, the musical movement playing on the hour or at will. A custom-made Empire case, the bezels, pendant and bow set with split pearls, the band set with two lines of seed pearls with royal blue enamel in between, a bolt for activating the music in the band. Gold dial with polished Roman hours on a matted chapter ring, polished outer minute track, engine-turned centre and blued steel Breguet hands.
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The automaton on the case back with a polychrome enamel scene depicting a garden at a lakeside villa, the Alps in the background, the lower half with applied varicoloured gold automaton scene of musicians, a seated lady playing the guitar can move her arm, a seated gentleman playing the lyre also able to move his arm, the whole on applied gold grass with a sheep suckling a lamb between. A gilt-brass movement, free-standing barrel, cylinder escapement, brass escape wheel, three-arm gold balance, flat balance spring, index regulator, repeating on gongs activated by depressing the pendant, sur plateau musical movement with pinned brass disc and 20 tuned blued steel teeth playing on both sides of the pinned disc, activated on the hour or at will. Movement stamped PM, case and movement numbered.
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Diameter: 58 mm
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Signed: I.D. Piguet & P. Meylan Genève
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On occasion, the back, generally painted on enamel, of the watches with automata made for the Chinese market was replaced with glass so that the automata could be more easily admired.
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Piguet & Meylan are both originally from the village of Le Chenit in the Vallée de Joux, Switzerland. Isaac Daniel Piguet, 1775-1841, and Philippe Samuel Meylan, 1772-1845, came to Geneva as young men and formed a partnership that lasted from 1811 to 1828. The company specialized in elaborate and beautifully decorated musical watches, including skeleton, automaton watches and mechanical animals. The firm was established at 45, Rue Jean Jacques Rousseau in Geneva. After their association came to an end, both Piguet and Meylan continued for some time to work with their sons.