Movement: gilded full plate, verge escapement, decoratively pierced balance cock and long foot engraved with flowers and foliage, flat steel balance, fusee now with woven wire line, urn shaped pillars, signed P. Belon, A Paris. Dial: enamel, white chapter ring with black and gilded Roman numerals with half hour divisions between, turquoise centre, gold floriate hand Cases: yellow gold, turquoise base, raised semi-roundels of white enamel with black highlights interspersed with shaded orange roundels, case back centred with a flower in matching enamel tones, the round pendant similarly decorated, centre of the inside back with stylised black enamel flower, bezel with gold tags for crystal retention

Antiquorum Geneva, 16 October 2005, lot 88
Antiquorum Geneva, 12 April 2003, lot 491

Dial: with some visible hairline cracks to the enamel and some signs of repair Case: visible repair to the enamel on outer bezel around 8 o'clock and 11 o'clock, some other visible repair around 4 o'clock and 7 o'clock on the case. Chip around 11 o'clock under the bow. Some visible irregularities from firing to inside and outside of the case. Some small chips to the pendant. Movement: running at the time of cataloguing
"In response to your inquiry, we are pleased to provide you with a general report of the condition of the property described above. All dimensions in catalogue descriptions are approximate. Condition reports may not specify mechanical replacements or imperfections to the movement, case, dial, pendulum, separate base(s) or dome. Watches in water-resistant cases have been opened to examine movements but no warranties are made that the watches are currently water-resistant. Please note that we do not guarantee the authenticity of any individual component parts, such as wheels, hands, crowns, crystals, screws, bracelets and leather bands, since subsequent repairs and restoration work may have resulted in the replacement of original parts. Since we are not professional conservators or restorers, we urge you to consult with a restorer or conservator of your choice who will be better able to provide a detailed, professional report. Prospective buyers should inspect each lot to satisfy themselves as to condition and must understand that any statement made by Sotheby's is merely a subjective, qualified opinion. Prospective buyers should also refer to any Important Notices regarding this sale, which are printed in the Sale Catalogue. In particular, please note it is the purchaser's responsibility to comply with any applicable import and export matters, particularly in relation to lots incorporating materials from endangered species.NOTWITHSTANDING THIS REPORT OR ANY DISCUSSIONS CONCERNING A LOT, ALL LOTS ARE OFFERED AND SOLD AS IS" IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE CONDITIONS OF BUSINESS PRINTED IN THE SALE CATALOGUE."

**Please be advised that bands made of materials derived from endangered or otherwise protected species (i.e. alligator and crocodile) are not sold with the watches and are for display purposes only. We reserve the right to remove these bands prior to shipping."

Tardy notes in his Dictionnaire des Horlogers Français that Pierre Belon became a master watchmaker in 1623. He was a Valet de Chambre to the French King and Queen between 1635 and 1648. Belon’s son, also named Pierre, would become clockmaker to the Queen in 1645 and the King and Queen mother in 1649. To achieve the raised enamel decoration to the edges of the case and bezel, multiple layers of enamel paint were applied to the surface of the case. The use of turquoise enamel to entirely cover the surface of a watch case is highly unusual and the use of this colour is known in only a small handful of watches. One of the most famous watches to incorporate a turquoise enamel ground to its case is an extraordinary watch from the same collection as the present lot by Jehan Cremsdorff, Paris, which also dates to c.1650. For the Cremsdorff watch, see: Sotheby's, Treasures, 3 July 2019, lot 4.