Exceptionally rare English complicated lever Circa 1873-1874

Gold hunting cased lever with complications by Hunt & Roskell
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An extremely fine and exceptionally rare, large, heavy English 18 Carat gold hunting cased minute repeating keyless lever pocket watch with a perpetual calendar with leap year indication and retrograde date, London hallmarks for 1873-1874. Frosted gilt 3/4 plate movement probably supplied by Louis Audemars, fully jewelled in screwed gold chatons, lateral lever escapement, cut bimetallic compensation balance with gold temperature and meantime adjustment screws, blued steel Breguet balance spring with overcoil, diamond endstone, index regulator, foliate engraved balance cock, retrograde date geared with a rack and pinion assembly mounted above the toothed date wheel, repeating on gongs activated by a slide in the band. Gold hinged cuvette. White enamel dial with narrow radial Roman numerals, outer minute track, subsidiary dials for the retrograde date, days of the week, 12 months and large seconds, aperture for the moon phases, gold and champlevé enamel moon phase disc, original blued steel spade hands. Polished case by HW (master mark). Dial and movement signed Hunt & Roskell.
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Diameter: 56 mm
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Signed: Hunt & Roskell 156 New Bond Street London
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The perpetual calendar with the feature of retrograde date is extremely uncommon. Like the majority of complicated English watches of the second half of the 19th century, the movement is made in Switzerland, in this case, it is likely to have been supplied by the firm of Louis Audemars, due to the unusual nature of the calendar mechanism and the very high quality of finish. The moon phase disc is made of heavy gold and beautifully champlevé enamelled with a deep blue translucent enamel.
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Hunt & Roskell. The firm of Hunt and Roskell had very close associations with the Swiss watch industry and often used Swiss movements for their precision watches. Hunt & Roskell The firm was begun by the gold and silversmith Paul Storr. In partnership with John Mortimer and John Samuel Hunt, he added the retailing of clocks and watches to his activities of selling gold and silver plate and jewellery in their New Bond Street premises. On December 31, 1838, the partnership was dissolved, business being continued by Mortimer with J.S. and J. Hunt as Mortimer & Hunt at 156 New Bond Street. In 1843 Mortimer retired, being replaced by Robert Roskell. The firm continued as Hunt & Roskell until it was bought by J.W. Benson in 1866. They also had premises in Manchester. The company made watches for the China trade and produced fine minute repeating watches and watches with spherically sprung spring detent tourbillons. They exhibited at the Paris Universal Exhibition of 1867.