Patek Philippe

MOVEMENT
Especially fine quality, long gilt rectangular four bridge movement, signed Patek Philippe and numbered on the balance cock, additionally with retailer's name, moustache lever escapement, bi-metallic compensation balance, jewelled up to the centre wheel, the central bridge in the form of a number 1, grained steel perpetual calendar work under the dial with trigger mechanism for setting the bird to sing at 12. Movement size 62mm x 19.5mm.



DIALS
Three enamel dials set into the front of the bird box, the central dial for mean time with roman numerals and blued steel hands, to the right a dial for date with arabic numerals and to the left the month written in script.



PERPETUAL CALENDAR
The perpetual calendar work in the present lot is one of the earliest applications of the complication known from Patek Philippe. Only one other perpetual movement (no.25.308), cased in 1865 as a pocket watch, is known to be earlier than the present piece. Research also shows that movement no.20.953 was also a perpetual calendar, but this was later finished and cased. It is important to note that the production of the perpetual calendar work in this box was completed 24 years before Patek Philippe patented their first perpetual calendar mechanism in 1889. During this pre-patent period, each Patek Philippe calendar or perpetual calendar mechanism was elaborated as a prototype and improved with each new movement.  The perpetual calendar mechanism in the present box is most interesting and spread under the three dials, covering the full length of the movement.



MUSICAL AUTOMATON BIRD MECHANISM
Attributed to Bruguier, rectangular gilt mechanism, fusee and chain, leather covered bellows, series of stacked cam wheels controlling the movement of the bird in time with the pitch and stop of the bird song, with connection (now lacking) to the watch movement to trigger the bird at 12. Bird movement size 84mm x 44mm.



THE BIRD
Fully automated bird appearing when the lid is lifted with the slide on the side of the case and at 12 o'clock, covered with humming bird feathers and with real beak, the bird turns bodily, flaps its wings, turns its head and opens it beak in time with the bird song. 



THE BOX
Engraved silver with champlevé stylised greek key design in turquoise and black enamel, the oval lid to the top with fine polychrome enamel signed JH and depicting two children burying a dead songbird, lifting to reveal a finely engraved and pierced recess from which the siging bird appears, the left side fitted with hinged key compartment, the dials mounted on a hinged front panel to reveal the winding, setting and adjusting apertures, the base with guilloché, centered by a central plain cartouche surrounded by foliate design and with keyhole for winding the bird.



The enamel panel is signed JH and attributed to Juliette Hébert who was the pupil of her father Jules Hébert and the well known Gaspard Lamunière. She specialised in miniature enamel portraits and frequently copied old master paintings in her work. Juliette Hébert participated in many Geneva events and exhibitions from 1857 and won a first prize in the 1897 Brussels Universal exhibition.



BRUGUIER AND BRUGUIER & FILS



Charles-Abraham, son of établisseur Jacques-François Bruguier, was born in Geneva in 1788. According to Sharon Bailly, there is a strong probablity of some connection between the Bruguiers and the Rochat family of  singing bird masters, although so far these is no incontrovertible proof. In any case, Charles-Abraham trained as a clockmaker, moving to London in 1815 where his son Abraham-Charles, known as Charles, was born on 25 November 1818 and christened with his younger sister Louise Pernette at St Anne's Soho on 26 November 1822. The following year the family returned to Geneva and it is at this point that Charles-Abraham apparently began to make singing bird boxes, taking time between 1833 and 1837 to work at the Paur musical box factory near Montbéliard. Charles Bruguier fils is first recorded as a mécanicien separately from his father in 1843. Both produced singing bird boxes with excellent mechanisms contained within gold, silver or silver-gilt cases, distinctively enamelled with romantic lake views or flowers. Charles Bruguier fils and Jacques Bruguier eventually took over and continued the family business. See Sharon & Christian Bailly, Oiseaux de Bonheur, Geneva, 2001, pp. 262-294, for a biography of the Bruguier family and illustrations of their works.

Patek Philippe no.26.685 is one of the most important creations by Patek Philippe. With its combination of singing bird automata, perpetual calendar and time, no.26.685 is the most complicated piece known to have been made by Patek Philippe between the company’s foundation in 1839 and the date of the box’s manufacture in 1865.

Incorporating one of the company’s earliest ever applications of the Perpetual calendar mechanism, it was made 24 years before the Patek Philippe perpetual calendar patent was filed. Renowned for their mastery of mechanical complexity, the present lot stands at a pivotal and defining moment in the history of the company. The Patek Philippe perpetual calendar patent was undoubtedly one of the watchmaker’s most significant inventions, ultimately leading to the company’s extraordinary complication calendar wristwatches which have historically defined Patek Philippe as leaders in their field.

Bird boxes with complications are extremely rare and only two are known to have been made by Patek Philippe. One was included in the 1878 Paris Exhibition (mvt.28.395), the lid of which bore an enamel miniature of Lake Geneva [Source: Oiseaux de Bonheur by Arnaud Tellier, Tribune des Arts, July 7th 2006]. It seems clear that the present box was especially made. By serial number, the current lot is the earliest bird box known, below is a table detailing all known Patek Philippe bird boxes.

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Known Patek Philippe Bird Boxes

26.685 Present lot
28.383 Antiquorum 1987
XXXXX Duchesse de Berry, 1861
XXXXX Triomphe de la Science, Shah of Persia
XXXXX Virginia Museum, un-identified
28.389 Sotheby's, 1980; Antiquorum, 1987
28.391 Sotheby's, 2006
28.393 Sotheby's, 2000; Antiquroum 2001
28.395 Paris Exhibition 1878
28.398 Antiquroum 1993; Now at the Patek Philippe Museum
28.399 Antiquorum 1993
850.010 Patek Philippe Museum