English gold duplex made for the Chinese market Circa 1805

Gold, enamel and pearl set centre seconds duplex by William Ilbery
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A very fine English 18 carat gold, enamel and pearl set centre seconds duplex pocket watch made for the Chinese market, circa 1805. Gilt brass movement, fully engraved Chinese caliber, free standing barrel, single wheel duplex escapement, bimetallic compensation balance with wedge shaped blued steel weights and temperature adjustment screws, flat steel balance spring, index regulator, diamond endstone. Gold sprung cuvette hinged to the movement ring and with engraved decoration. Convex white enamel dial Roman numerals, outer minute and seconds divisions with fifteen minute Arabic numerals and original gold heart hands. Spring loaded back finely painted on enamel depicting Cleopatra and Octavian with attendants before a fortress, translucent royal blue enamel border, pearl set bezels, pendant and bow. Movement signed and numbered.
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Diameter: 58 mm
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Signed: William Ilbery
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William Ilbery (died 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 too specialized in the production of luxury watches for the Chinese market. His early production was verymuch in the English style, featuring a full platemovement and an English type single wheel duplex escapement, however for his highest quality watches, he incorporated a spring detent escapement. The cases were also very much in the style of those produced in England at the time. Later, along with Jaquet Droz’s Swiss production signed in London and that of William Anthony who worked in London, the watch movements he produced were much inspired by the Lepine caliber with free standing barrel. In fact he set a new standard for all watches made for the Asian market. He organized the production of profusely engraved movements in Switzerland, mainly in Fleurier, he was followed in this by makers such as Bovet and Juvet, who also worked in Fleurier (Val de Travers). Bovet and Juvet organized the mass production of silver cased watches and later, once their Canton manufactures were opened, they assembled these directly in China. Ilbery can therefore be considered the ‘father’ of ‘Chinese’ watches, as they are known today. The cases of Ilbery’s watches were decorated in by Geneva’s best enamelers, such as Jean-Francois-Victor Dupont, who often signed his work, and Jean-Louis Richter, whose enamels were generally not signed. 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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Cleopatra & Octavian. The defeat of Anthony & Cleopatra by the fleet of Octavian (Augustus) at the battle of Actium was followed by the latter’s invasion of Egypt. Anthony’s forces were again beaten and he committed suicide. According to Plutarch, Octavian visited Cleopatra to comfort her, on which occasion she gave him a list of her treasures.