Rare Swiss gold pair cased cabriolet lever watch Circa 1850

Gold and enamel lever with gold champlevé dial
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A very rare Swiss 18K gold and enamel pair-cased cabriolet lever pocket watch, circa 1850. Bar movement, lever escapement.
Gold champlevé dial with Roman hours and outer minute divisions, the centre engraved, subsidiary seconds at 6 o’clock and steel Breguet hands. The first case is enamelled, with very fine engraving, a cartouche with a polychrome enamel portrait of a lady in the centre, peripheral craquelling professional restored. The second case decorated to match, also engraved and with a central cartouche but this one with an enamel alpine landscape. Cuvette signed and numbered.
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Diameter: 42 mm
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Weight: 58 g
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Signed: Fritz Courvoisier  Geneva
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A pair-cased cabriolet watch. The cases of this type of watch are made in such a way that the inner case can be turned into the outer case so that the watch can be used either as an open faced or as a hunting cased watch. The purpose of the reversible case is to protect the glass and the dial from impact when wearing the watch, for ladies tied to a chain around the neck, for men in the pocket, especially during intense or vigorous activities.
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A comparable watch by this maker, No 1426, also with an alpine landscape was sold in an auction in 2007 for more than USD 10,000.