I'm not very familiar with this auction house Doyle New York, after after the recent announcement of Christies on guns wiht automa, this item caught my eye. The NY auctioneer will sell on Apr 13 a rare gold and enamel timepiece and perfume sprinker in the form of a miniature pistol, which had been made for the Chinese market, circa 1805. The watch measures a mere 10.8 cm. in length and is attributed to the firm of Moulinie, Bautte & Cie, Geneva. It was only recently discovered and is entirely fresh to the market, having descended in the family of Alice Appleton Hay. Mrs. Hay was the daughter-in-law of U.S. President Abraham Lincoln’s private secretary John Hay, who later served as U.S. Secretary of State. There are fewer than fifteen known examples of this perfume sprinkler and watch. Similar pistols can be found in the Collection Hans Wilsdorf, Montres Rolex, Geneva; the Sir David Salomons Collection, Tel Aviv; and the M. and E.M. Sandoz Collection, Musee de l'Horlogerie et de l'Emaillerie, Geneva.
