Extremely fine English duplex for Chinese market Circa 1820

Gold, enamel and pearl-set pocket watch by William Ilbery
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An extremely fine and extremely rare English 18 carat gold, enamel and pearl-set duplex pocket watch made for the Chinese market, circa 1820. The enamel is attributed to Jean-François-Victor Dupont. Gilt-brass movement, Chinese calibre, fully engraved with foliate decoration, standing barrel, single wheel duplex escapement, bimetallic compensation balance with brass weights with wedge-shaped steel caps, adjustment screws, flat balance spring, diamond endstone, index regulator. Hinged gold cuvette with engraved decoration. White enamel dial with Roman numerals, outer minute track, subsidiary seconds and original gold ovoid hands. A large case, the back decorated with a finely polychrome enamel scene of a young lady in a yellow dress holding a letter and a pink rose, while to the right an old man from behind a curtain offers her a bag of money to surrender her virtue, outer border decorated to match the bezel, bezel decorated with gold scrolls and royal blue, light blue and white champlevé enamel set with graduated split pearls, band decorated with engraved gold stylized flowers with light blue centres and on a black ground. Movement signed.
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Diameter: 61.5 mm
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Signed: Ilbery London
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William Ilbery (circa 1760-1839). Active in London from 1780 in Goswell Street, he moved to Duncan Terrace towards the end of the 18th century. Following James Cox in London and Jaquet Droz in Switzerland, he also specialized in the production of luxury watches for the Chinese Market. His early production was very much in the English style, featuring a full plate movement and an English-type single-wheel duplex escapement. However, for his highest-quality watches, he incorporated a spring detent escapement. Later, the watch movements he produced were much inspired by the Lepine calibre with a free-standing barrel, as were Jaquet Droz’s Swiss production signed in London and that of William Anthony, who worked in London. The cases of his watches were sumptuously decorated by the best Genevan enamelers, such as Jean-Francois-Victor Dupont, who usually signed his work, and Jean-Louis Richter, who signed rarely. He organized the production in Switzerland, mainly in Fleurier, of profusely engraved movements for the Asian market. He was followed in this by makers such as Bovet and Juvet who also worked in Fleurier (Val de Travers). Ilbery can therefore be considered one of the most representative makers of  ‘Chinese’ watches. He seems to have maintained close contacts with the continental trade since a watch signed ‘Ilbery Paris’ is known and Ilbery & Son are recorded in London and Fleurier, as well as in Canton.
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Jean-François Victor Dupont (1785-1863). A highly reputed painter on enamel and porcelain. His work includes portraits of King George IV, Henry IV, H-B de Saussure and others. He painted enamels for Ilbery destined for the Oriental market. He is known for the beauty and elegance of his work, as well as for his distinctive palette, due to the fact that he mixed his own colours. The remarkable manner in which the figures in the foregrounds seem to advance, giving an impression of depth, is characteristic of his art.