English gold pair cased repoussé verge with alarm Circa 1760

Gold repoussé pocket watch with jewelled verge pivots by Daniel de St. Leu
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An extremely fine and very rare English 20 carat gold pair cased rococo repoussé verge pocket watch with alarm and jewelled verge pivots, circa 1760. Gilt brass full plate movement, ring turned pillars, fusee with chain, verge escapement, steel balance with jeweled holes for both pivots, flat balance spring, single footed rococo balance cock finely pierced with foliate scrolls, diamond endstone, silver regulation disc, alarm train with fixed barrel, sounding with two polished steel hammers on a bell in the back of the case. White enamel on gold dial with Roman numerals, outer minute track, outermost Arabic five minute numerals, aperture for the white enamel alarm setting disc with Arabic numerals, setting arbor below and original gold arrow hands. Outer case repoussé, very finely chased with a scene of Ulysses and the Phaeacians within a rococo border with pierced foliate sound frets, bezel decorated to match, the inner case with pierced band, engraved with foliate scrolls, shells and a mask, central engraved rosette, polished bezel, gilt dust cover. Dial, dust cap and movement signed.
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Diameter: 52 mm
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Signed: De St. Leu 
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This watch is of very high quality, even by the standards of English watches of the period. It has the very unusual feature for an English watch of alarm only, without any additional form of repeating or striking. The alarm mechanism is interesting because it uses the wheelwork and hammers of a traditional striking train but the under dial work is specially designed to make it work as an alarm. The alarm is set using the numbered aperture in the dial, the dial itself is enameled on gold. It is extremely rare to find jeweled holes for the pivots of a verge balance, which is another indicator of the very high level of finish given to this watch.
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Daniel de St. Leu, active 1753-1797, was of Genevan origin, he worked in Geneva and London. Made watchmaker to the Queen in 1765, Saint Leu was renowned for very fine enameled and vari-coloured gold clockwatches set with diamonds and precious stones and for repeating watches for the Turkish and Islamic markets. He also made a magnificent silver mounted clock for the Court of Spain. Although De Saint Leu himself was only active until about 1797, the company continued to make watches under his name for roughly another 15 years.