18k (750) gold SAVONNETTE POCKET WATCH with striking mechani - Lot 68

18k (750) gold SAVONNETTE POCKET WATCH with striking mechanism, full calendar, moon phases, lightning seconds, once owned by Admiral René-Julien Marquis. Round case on hinge, guilloché and initials "AB" on back, on middle a slide to operate minute repeater, gold bowl inscribed "Charles Oudin Hger de la Marine Palais Royal 52 Médailles de 1806 à 1864" and numbered "21568", inside back of case the master hallmark B for Louis Audemars as well as the mark AM for the case manufacturer, and case number 9872 (glass missing) White enamel dial with moon phase and age indication, 3 auxiliary dials for date, months and days of the week, "Diablotine" 1/5th-second lightning seconds counter, external railway minute track, signed Movement based on a Swiss Louis Audemars caliber, lever escapement with spiral balance, advance/delay adjustment, two-hammer striking mechanism on gong for minute repetition, inscriptions on the plate. Diameter: 53 mm Gross weight 162 g This watch, which has remained in the same family since its first owner, belonged to one of its illustrious ancestors, René-Julien Marquis (1846-1929), Admiral of the French Navy. Since his death in 1929, this watch has remained in the family and is a testimony to the horological art of the illustrious watchmaker Charles Oudin, a former student of the watchmaker Abraham-Louis Breguet. The present watch is an example of a complicated watch made on the basis of a Swiss ébauche by Louis Audemars for his loyal client, the famous naval watchmaker Charles Oudin in Paris, one of his main customers from 1860 onwards. It features the first crown-winding and time-setting mechanism with counterweight lever, also known as the "bishop's crook lever", which was a hallmark of high-quality watches at the time. Our example can be compared with one delivered to the De la Cerda family, Dukes of Medinaceli in Spain, bearing the case number "21663", which makes our example an earlier construction than the one already known to collectors. More interestingly, the number on the case back of our example is 9872, while that delivered to the de Cerda family bears the number 9873, which also confirms that our watch was made in the same period. The Charles Oudin firm, still in existence today under the Berthet family, is an example of French watchmaking expertise since the early 19th century, with the most illustrious of the dynasty's watchmakers signing his watches "Charles Oudin, Elève de Breguet". The company's illustrious customers include names that marked French and European history, such as Empress Josephine, Queen Victoria and Emperor Napoleon III, all key figures in 19th-century history. René Julien MARQUIS (1846-1929), Son of Antoine MARQUIS and Victoire BARREAUT, promoted to the rank of Vice-Admiral in 1903 and elevated to Grand Officier de la Légion d'Honneur in 1908. He completed his military career as Maritime Prefect in Toulon from 1905 to 1911. A painter and musician, he encouraged and supported the artistic beginnings of Charles Millot, known as GERVESE. Expert | Geoffroy ADER