French 18 carat gold key wound verge watch with chatelaine Circa 1780

Gold chatelaine watch by Vauchez
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A very fine French 18 carat gold open faced key wound pocket watch with chatelaine, circa 1780. The movement with a verge escapement. White enamel dial with Roman hours, outer minute divisions, Arabic quarter hour numerals and gold Louis XIV hands. The altered case is set with stones. Accompanied by a corresponding chatelaine with key and seal.
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Diameter: 40 mm
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Weight: 50 g
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Signed: Vauchez
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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. 

Vauchez 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. It is worth noting that due to the lettering used in Vauchez, it is possible that it is not a ‘z’ but an ‘r’.