English gilt, enamel and paste-set pair-cased verge Circa 1800

Gilt, enamel and paste-set verge pair cases by William Carpenter
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A high-quality English gilt-brass, enamel and paste-set pair-cased verge pocket watch with stoppable centre seconds, circa 1800. Full plate movement, chain and fusee, verge escapement, three-arm steel balance. White enamel dial with Roman hours and Arabic five-minute numerals. The outer case with a polychrome enamel scene on the back of two young ladies with a pair of doves in a park, a floral engraved band, the front bezel set with green and red stones, a polished inner case, case maker’s punch mark WC. Movement signed and numbered.
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Diameter: 63 mm
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Weight: 173 g
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Signed: Wm Carpenter London
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William Carpenter in London was an innovative and highly gifted watchmaker of the late 18th century, who successfully produced fine watches and automata for the Chinese, Indian and Ottoman markets. The dates of his life are not exactly known, but he was presumably born in 1727 and freed from the Clockmakers’ Company in 1781. Carpenter probably worked until 1803 or 1818, and he is best known for his exquisite musical automata. Some of his automata are owned by the Palace Museum in Beijing and by the Victoria and Albert Museum in London.