English centre seconds duplex for Chinese market Circa 1870

Silver gilt, enamel and pearl set duplex with centre seconds by Richardson
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An English  gilt pocket watch with centre seconds made for the Chinese market by Richardson, circa 1870.
Gilded silver, enamel and pearl-set, open faced, key winding, roundshaped, pocket watch, with centre seconds, made for the Chinese market. Case back with polychrome painting on enamel, by an unidentified workshop, probably Geneva, showing a young Western woman with a melancholy look, in bust, leaning his head slightly and looking to the right, in the middle of a garland of multicoloured flowers and leaves on a grey background; fluted case band; bezels, pendant and bow set with half-pearls.
Movement engraved Chinese-style, with going barrel, duplex escapement, monometallic balance (polished steel) and blued steel flat hairspring.
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Diameter : 55 mm
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Signed: Richardson
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It’s extremely rare to find a watch typically made for the Chinese market with such a subject. Few other watches from the same retailer are known  No. 376 (Ø 58 mm.)  No. 571 (Ø 55 mm.) No. 772 (Ø 55 mm.) Unrecorded number (Ø 58 mm.).
Prestige hallmarks British hallmarks were sometimes faked or imitated, especially in the 18th and early 19th centuries when English watchmaking enjoyed a reputation as the finest there was. Marks looking like British hallmarks were out into watchcases to lead people to think that a watch was of English make. Sometimes pseudo ‘‘hallmarks’’, marks that were meant to look somewhat like hallmarks without trying to be out-and-out fake hallmarks, were stamped in order to make a case look more impressive.

Later fitted box (early-20th century, signed J. W. Benson, London).