Austrian silver open faced repeating pocket watch Circa 1805

Silver open faced keywind repeating verge watch
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A fine Austrian silver open faced skeletonised quarter repeating pocket watch by Carl Wagner in Vienna, made in the French style and bearing a contemporary spurious Breguet signature, circa 1805. The watch has a mechanical key winding movement with a verge escapement and a skeletonised full plate brass mechanism that reveals the intricate inner wheels and repeating strike work. It includes an integrated quarter repeating mechanism striking the hours and quarters, signed Carl Wagner on the interior. The white enamel outer chapter ring dial shows elegant black Arabic numerals for the hours, outer minute track, a skeletonised centre covered by mineral glass, and blued steel Breguet style hands, inscribed Breguet A Paris at the bottom.
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The timepiece is housed in a solid silver open faced case with an intricately engraved case back, and a smooth polished bezel. A separate winding key is included.
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Diameter: 57 mm
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Signed: Carl Wagner & Breguet A Paris
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This watch is an intriguing historical mystery. It was mainly made by the Austrian master watchmaker Carl Wagner, but bears a fake signature of Abraham-Louis Breguet. Around 1800, Breguet was so famous and expensive that many watches were copied or forged, often with the inscription Breguet à Paris to command a higher price. Sometimes, these watches were later repaired or restored by experts like Wagner, who then signed the inside with his own name as proof of his craftsmanship. Additionally, Breguet à Paris became a label for a certain French style, and customers sometimes specifically requested such models. According to the Breguet Museum, 19th-century watches with Breguet à Paris on the dial are not authentic Breguets. Therefore, this pocket watch is a genuine Austrian precision timepiece by Carl Wagner, made or restored in the popular French Breguet style of that era.