Important English silver mock pendulum verge watch Circa 1690

Silver verge pocket watch by Simon Decharmes
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An important English silver mock pendulum verge pocket watch, circa 1690. Early English verge movement, Egyptian pillars, regulation on the dial side and mock pendulum. Champlevé dial with Roman hours and Arabic five minutes, mock pendulum. Case glazed on both sides, the back with a view to a very fine enamel painting in the manner of Mussard.
Dial signed.
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Diameter: 53.5 mm
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Weight: 126 g
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Signed: S Decharmes London
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Simon des Charmes was a Huguenot born in 1665, Langres, France. He was extremely talented and successful. The few watches from des Charmes that have survived to this day are museum collectors’ pieces. His parents died shortly after his birth. Simon remained in France until 1685, but then followed the path of other Huguenot craftsmen and emigrated to London. In 1691 he gained his freedom from the Clockmakers Company.
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Jean Mussard V was born and died in Geneva, 1681-1754. He was one of the best enamel painters of the early 18th century, the son of Jean IV and a cousin of the Huauds. He began his career as a goldsmith and became a Master on December 7th, 1699. He later became a painter on enamel, in which discipline he was influenced by the style of Les Frères Huaud. Although he clearly was inspired by their work, his paintings were more according to the taste of the time, they showed religious designs as well as purely secular ones. He went into partnership with his son Jean-Antoine and trained several pupils, among them Gabriel Fontaine, André Oettner and in 1712, Germain Colladon. The scene ‘The Death of Cleopatra’ can be found on several of his enamel watches, but two of his best known subjects are ‘Roman Charity’ and ‘Religious Scene’. His signature appears as ‘Mussard’, ‘Jean Mussard pinx’ and ‘Mussard pinx’.