French 18 carat gold and enamel verge watch with chatelaine Circa 1780

Gold and enamel chatelaine watch by Vauchez
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A very fine French 18 carat gold and enamel open faced verge pocket watch with chatelaine, circa 1780. Full plate movement, chain and fusee, three arm brass balance. White enamel dial with Arabic hours and outer minute track. The translucent cobalt blue enamelled case back has a radial guilloché pattern with applied gold stars, the band is decorated with pearls and gold blue guilloché enamel ribbons.
Movement signed and numbered. Comes with a corresponding gold and enamel chatelaine, the oval medallion and two pendants are decorated to match the case.
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Diameter: 40 mm
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Weight: 68 g
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Signed: Vauchez à Paris
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One pearl missing.
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The Vauchez or Vaucher family originally came from Fleurier, Switzerland and produced so many skilled watchmakers that attributing individual watches to their maker is very difficult. The best known was Daniel-François Vauchez.

Daniel-François was born in Fleurier in 1716 and married with nine children. Vauchez had to leave the country in 1760 and moved to Paris, where he became a master watchmaker. His wife and children initially remained in Fleurier but eventually joined him in Paris. He likely had a close relationship with Ferdinand Berthoud, which contributed to his success as a watchmaker. By 1767, he was listed as a watchmaker and from 1769 to 1790 he had a workshop in the rue Saint-Pierre-aux-Boeufs in Paris. He signed his high quality timepieces with ‘Vauchez à Paris’ and ‘Vauchez en la Cité’. Five of his sons, Jonas-Frédéric-Louis, Jean-Henri-David, François-Daniel-Abraham, Jean-Jacques, Samuel-Henri-André and his daughter Isabelle-Salomé also became watchmakers. 

Daniel-François died around 1790 in Paris and Jean-Henri-David continued the business. In a poignant letter from 1826, it is mentioned that Samuel-Henri-André and François-Daniel-Abraham were still living in poverty in Paris and were nearly blind. 

Various clocks bearing the signature ‘Vauchez à Paris’ and ‘Vauchez en la Cité’ can be found in museum collections across Europe, including the Musée du Louvre in Paris.