Swiss gold and enamel verge for the Chinese market Circa 1780

Gold museum quality pocket watch
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A museum quality verge pocket watch, The Vase, made in Switzerland for the Chinese market, circa 1780. The case of this watch was crafted from 18 carat gold and is glazed on both sides, showing a decorative vase form with a white enamel dial featuring Arabic hour numerals, outer minute divisions and gilt poker & beetle hands on the face, and a polychrome enamel painting with three putti on the reverse. The gilt vase shaped movement is fitted with a visible balance on the face and a verge escapement.
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Diameter: 43 mm
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Weight: 37 g
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Signed: No name
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These watches are extremely rare. To date, only about ten of these watches are known to exist, most of them in important collections and museums. In 2016, one of these ten watches was sold in Geneva for more than CHF 18.000 (about € 16,515). Another example was auctioned with an estimated price between € 15,000 and € 20,000.
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Further examples are among others in:
The Württembergisches Landesmuseum in Stuttgart, Germany;
The Musée Historique de Bâle in Basel, Switzerland (with a later dial);
The Patek Philippe Museum in Geneva, Switzerland, formerly in the Marcel van Cauwenbergh Collection, sold by Antiquorum in Hong Kong on March 30, 1989,
for € 25,197;
The time Museum in Rockford, Illinois, USA, (a very similar piece) sold by Sotheby’s in New York on June 19, 2002, for USD 16.730 (about € 15,890);
The Musée d’Art et d’Histoire in Geneva, Switzerland, but it was stolen
on November 24, 2002;
An important German private collection.