Swiss 18K gold and enamel cylinder pendant watch Circa 1850

Two-colour gold and enamel lady’s watch
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A fine Swiss 18 carat two-colour gold and enamel open faced cylinder pendant watch, circa 1850. Matte gilt movement, Lépine calibre, jewelled cylinder escapement, plain three-arm balance, flat balance spring, index regulator. A hinged gold cuvette. Silver dial, a guilloché chapter ring with Roman numerals, the centre flower and scroll engraved, subsidiary seconds and black Breguet hands. A polychrome enamel panel depicting the Virgin, Child and St. John on the case back, a raised two-colour gold flower and foliate scroll border, foliate engraved pendant and bezel and an engine-turned band. Cuvette signed, movement signed and numbered.
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Diameter: 39 mm
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Signed: Hy. Capt Aubert à Genève
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Henry-Daniel Capt was an independent Swiss watchmaker who specialized in watches with additional complications such as musical watches and automatons. Capt was one of the first in Geneva to use barrels and crowns in his automatons. He was born in Chenit in the Vallée de Joux in April 1773, as the son of Jaques Samuel Capt and Susanne Piguet. His brother was Charles Samuel Capt. On January 1st, 1796, he married Henriette Piguet. In the Vallée de Joux, Capt trained as an établisseur. Around 1789, Henry settled in Geneva and worked for renowned companies such as Jaquet-Droz, Godet, Leschot and his brother-in-law Daniel Isaac Piguet. In 1802 he went into partnership with Daniel Isaac Piguet, which lasted until 1811. When this partnership ended, Capt kept producing his pieces before entering another partnership with Aubert et Fils in 1830 as Aubert & Capt, located in Place Bel-Air, Geneva. The firm was taken over by his son, Henry Capt, in 1844. He opened a shop on the Rue du Rhône in 1855, which quickly gained an excellent reputation. During the 1870s, the Henry Capt company advertised that they were the only Geneva watch manufacturer to have a branch retail house in London. He also established branches in Paris, Nice and New York. The house of Henry Capt flourished for many decades. Henry-Daniel Capt died in 1841.