SWISS | A HARDSTONE ROCK CRYSTAL AND DIAMOND-SET DESK TIMEPIECE CIRCA 1960 | 瑞士製 | 硬石配水晶及鑽石座鐘，年份約1960
Auction Closed
December 11, 08:21 PM GMT
Estimate
40,000 - 60,000 USD
Lot Details
Description
SWISS
瑞士製
A HARDSTONE ROCK CRYSTAL AND DIAMOND-SET DESK TIMEPIECE
CIRCA 1960
硬石配水晶及鑽石座鐘，年份約1960
Dial: rock crystal, diamond-set hands, opal set center arbor
Caliber: manual movement
Case: red jasper veneer with diamond-set hour makers, rock crystal and quartz plinths with onyx finials, set upon a rectangular jasper and lapis lazuli veneer base supported by rock crystal feet, hand setting to a hidden onyx and diamond set round to the lapis lazuli and jasper veneer base
Size: height 31.5 cm, width at base 22 cm
Signed: stamped L within an oval on the interior of the case
The total diamond weight is approximately 4.8 cts.
The first mystery clocks were inspired by the work of the 1850s French magician and clockmaker, Jean Eugene Robert-Houdin.
This aesthetically remarkable mechanical design was the basis for some of the most impressive clocks of the 1920s and beyond. The time appears to float magically in the air, indicated by two rotating crystal disks that suspend the hour hand and minute hand in a captivating dance. From the perspective of the viewer, the clock operates without any mechanical means, hence its description as a Mystery clock. The movement is cleverly hidden within the hardstone base and plinths rotating the crystal discs of the dial.