Swiss multi coloured gold quarter repeating verge Circa 1770

Gold and jewel set repeating à toc verge by Dufalga
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A Swiss 20 carat multi coloured gold and jewel set quarter repeating à toc verge pocket watch, circa 1770. Chased and engraved case, jewels (some replaced), casemaker’s punch HF. Verge movement, repeating hours and quarters à toc. White dial with Roman hours and Arabic minutes, very beautiful original silver hands, also set with jewels.
Diameter: 44 mm
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Weight: 77 g
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Signed: Dufalga Geneve
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There are a lot of discrepancies about the identity of Dufalgas in the relevant watchmaker directories. Most probably, this watch is a work of Philippe Cafarello Dufalga (born 1712 France – died 1794 Geneva), son of Francois Dufalga, Haut-Languedoc, France. Together with his father Philippe Cafarello he came to Geneva, where he was naturalized in 1745. He was known for making luxurious watches. Probably he worked in Geneva and in Paris, which would explain the two signatures ‘Dufalga à Paris’ and ‘Dufalga à Genève’. Unfortunately, the identity of the casemaker ‘HF’ remains unknown. Only a few of these luxurious verge watches are known today, mostly in well known collections and museums. A similar watch can be found in the Louvre Museum.