Swiss silver pair cased verge pocket watch with alarm Circa 1685

Silver watch in pair cases by Pierre Mestral
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A high quality Swiss silver pair cased verge pocket watch with alarm, circa 1685. Full plate movement, key winding, chain and fusee, a pierced spring barrel for alarm clock, one hammer, an applied blued iron ratchet, a three arm iron balance and brass balance bridge with symbols of the zodiac signs on a blued silver cover. Silver champlevé dial with Roman hours, a central rotating alarm clock disc with Arabic numerals and a single hand. A leather covered outer case with applied decorative studs and pierced sound openings, the inner case with an elaborately pierced band engraved with tendril decoration and animals, an oval cartouche with an engraved city view at 6 o’clock, an engraved sun symbol on the pendant and a bottom bell for the alarm. movement signed.
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Diameter: 56 mm
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Weight: 203 g
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Signed: Pierre Mestral
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Pierre Mestral was born on December 31, 1651 in Geneva. In 1678, he married Esther Janvier, daughter of the master watchmaker Etienne Janvier and Jeanne Desprez. The marriage resulted in two children, Sébastien and François. The son of Sébastien Mestral married Anne Mussard, daughter of the famous goldsmith and enameller Jean Mussard (1681-1754). He was a cousin of the Huauds and the most well known enamel painter in the early 18th century. Pierre died on July 22, 1705, in Geneva at 53.