Swiss 18K gold musical watch with three automatons Circa 1810

Gold musical quarter repeater
–
An important Swiss 18K gold open faced quarter repeating musical cylinder pocket watch with three automatons, circa 1810. Polished case, reeded band, pusher for repetition through the pendant, case maker’s punch mark ID. The dial with automata á quatre couleurs depicting a young man playing the flute and a lady playing the harp, on the left side two courting pigeons, the polychrome enamelled background showing an alpine landscape with a lake and houses, on the left a putto sitting on a fountain, a peripheral gold engine-turned dial with Arabic hours and blued Breguet hands. Fire gilt full plate movement, florally engraved, two hammers, two gongs, cylinder escapement, three-arm brass balance, pierced balance bridge, chatoned diamond endstone on balance, musical movement with tuned vibrating blades.
–
Diameter: 59 mm
–
Weight: 144 g
–
Signed: Henry Capt Geneva
–
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.