934
Juvet
An elaborate and exceptional pair of yellow gold and enamel openfaced pocket watches with white enamel dials, center seconds, duplex escapements and minature enamel paintings depicting Titus and Berenice, made for the Chinese Market, former properties of the Sandberg Watch Collection
Estimate
HK$160,000–320,000
€17,400–34,900
$20,500–41,000
Live 30 May, 12 PM Hong Kong SAR China Time
Manufacturer
Juvet
Year
Both: Circa 1860
Case No
First: 102181; Second: 71
Material
Both: Yellow gold and enamel
Calibre
Both: Manual, duplex escapement
Dimensions
First: 57mm diameter Second: 55mm diameter
Signed
First: Case and cuvette numbered; Movement signed ‘Leo Juvet’; Second: Cuvette numbered; Movement signed ‘Edouard Juvet’
Full-Cataloguing
GOOD TO KNOW:
- Exceptionally rare to find pair watches from Juvet in such remarkable condition
- Former property of the Sandberg Watch Collection
- In the same collection for over 20 years
An exceptionally rare find, the present lot comprises a pair of ornate antique pocket watches by the eminent Swiss watchmaker Edouard Juvet. Hailing from the storied watchmaking valley of Fleurier in the Swiss Jura Mountains, these matching timepieces represent the pinnacle of 19th‑century decorative watchmaking. It was in Fleurier that Juvet honed his mastery of lavish techniques such as enamelling, crafting timepieces specifically for the Chinese market, a clientele that demanded the finest European luxuries. While it is often noted that Chinese patrons favored paired watches, the preference was born as much of necessity as aesthetics: a second watch served as a spare should the first cease to function, for in an era when world travel required immense effort, dispatching a watch back to Fleurier for service could take no less than two years. Notably, the use of specular paintings—mirrored compositions—originated with Bovet, responding to the Asian cultural affinity for symmetry.
Demand for Swiss watches in China surged during the mid‑19th century, and Juvet’s exquisite enamel work was highly prized. His watches sold swiftly in bustling Shanghai, with markets later expanding to Saigon and Tianjin to reach other emerging Asian centers. As Juvet’s son Léo remarked in his memoirs, their watches were selling “like salt”, a testament to the vast opportunities of the Chinese luxury market even in the 19th century.
Both watches bear Juvet’s signature ornate enamel work on the casebacks, a painstaking technique that involves applying vibrant enamel over finely engraved imagery. Depicted here is the ancient legend of Titus and Berenice, an emotional tale of romance from classical antiquity that clearly resonated across cultures. The rich enamel colours recreate the scenes in remarkable detail, their brilliance undimmed after more than a century.
Within each case ticks one of Juvet’s highly regarded key‑wound movements, celebrated for superlative accuracy. The movements are chased with flowers and foliage, with one signed Edouard Juvet and the other Léo Juvet’. The pristine white enamel dials feature bold black Roman numerals for the hours, complemented by delicate Arabic numerals marking the minutes at 15, 30, 45, and 60. The bezels, pendants, and bows are decorated with half‑flowers in blue and white on translucent red enamel over engine‑turned grounds.
For collectors who value not only mechanical virtuosity but also the heritage and narratives of 19th‑century watchmaking and cultural exchange, this rare opportunity to acquire a matching pair of Juvet’s creations exceptionally well-preserved is momentous.
Kept in the same collection for over 20 years and previously in the Sandberg Watch Collection, their exuberant beauty and rarity cement Juvet’s legacy as one of Fleurier’s most skilled and renowned watchmaking artisans. Like the enduring tale of Titus and Berenice they depict, these pocket watches will persist through future generations as prized relics of horological history.
- Exceptionally rare to find pair watches from Juvet in such remarkable condition
- Former property of the Sandberg Watch Collection
- In the same collection for over 20 years
An exceptionally rare find, the present lot comprises a pair of ornate antique pocket watches by the eminent Swiss watchmaker Edouard Juvet. Hailing from the storied watchmaking valley of Fleurier in the Swiss Jura Mountains, these matching timepieces represent the pinnacle of 19th‑century decorative watchmaking. It was in Fleurier that Juvet honed his mastery of lavish techniques such as enamelling, crafting timepieces specifically for the Chinese market, a clientele that demanded the finest European luxuries. While it is often noted that Chinese patrons favored paired watches, the preference was born as much of necessity as aesthetics: a second watch served as a spare should the first cease to function, for in an era when world travel required immense effort, dispatching a watch back to Fleurier for service could take no less than two years. Notably, the use of specular paintings—mirrored compositions—originated with Bovet, responding to the Asian cultural affinity for symmetry.
Demand for Swiss watches in China surged during the mid‑19th century, and Juvet’s exquisite enamel work was highly prized. His watches sold swiftly in bustling Shanghai, with markets later expanding to Saigon and Tianjin to reach other emerging Asian centers. As Juvet’s son Léo remarked in his memoirs, their watches were selling “like salt”, a testament to the vast opportunities of the Chinese luxury market even in the 19th century.
Both watches bear Juvet’s signature ornate enamel work on the casebacks, a painstaking technique that involves applying vibrant enamel over finely engraved imagery. Depicted here is the ancient legend of Titus and Berenice, an emotional tale of romance from classical antiquity that clearly resonated across cultures. The rich enamel colours recreate the scenes in remarkable detail, their brilliance undimmed after more than a century.
Within each case ticks one of Juvet’s highly regarded key‑wound movements, celebrated for superlative accuracy. The movements are chased with flowers and foliage, with one signed Edouard Juvet and the other Léo Juvet’. The pristine white enamel dials feature bold black Roman numerals for the hours, complemented by delicate Arabic numerals marking the minutes at 15, 30, 45, and 60. The bezels, pendants, and bows are decorated with half‑flowers in blue and white on translucent red enamel over engine‑turned grounds.
For collectors who value not only mechanical virtuosity but also the heritage and narratives of 19th‑century watchmaking and cultural exchange, this rare opportunity to acquire a matching pair of Juvet’s creations exceptionally well-preserved is momentous.
Kept in the same collection for over 20 years and previously in the Sandberg Watch Collection, their exuberant beauty and rarity cement Juvet’s legacy as one of Fleurier’s most skilled and renowned watchmaking artisans. Like the enduring tale of Titus and Berenice they depict, these pocket watches will persist through future generations as prized relics of horological history.