Jeweller Auguste Dutertre found his niche concealing watch movements in ornate cases

Based in workshops near the Place des Bergues in Geneva in the 1850s-60s, the jeweller Auguste Dutertre (1798-1866) found a niche making so-called ‘bijoux à montres’ - watch movements concealed in notebooks, powder-boxes or, as here, a pair of lorgnettes.

Typically subcontracting the horology to Patek Philippe, he provided the gold and enamel cases tha…

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