Important mirror image pair of duplex watches Circa 1850

Gilded silver, enamel and pearl-set open faced watches by Bovet
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An exceptionally fine, rare and important Swiss silver gilt, enamel and pearl-set identical numbered, mirror image pair of open faced duplex watches made for the Chinese market, circa 1850. Finely engraved floral and scroll decorated gilt finished jewelled key-wound lever movements, bimetallic compensation balances. Hinged glazed display cuvettes. White enamel dials with Roman numerals, blued steel spade hands and centre seconds. Large cases, ribbed bands, pearl-set bezels, rims, pendants and bows, the backs decorated with a finely painted, mirror image polychrome enamel bouquet of flowers on a light green ground. Both cases are signed with Bovet’s Chinese signature and numbered 114, the dials signed Bovet Fleurier, movements signed Bovet Fleurier and with Bovet’s Chinese signature too, both numbered 714.
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Diameter: 55 mm
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Signed: Bovet Fleurier
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From their first arrival in China around 1700, lavishly decorated watches manufactured for the Far East took incontestably a prominent position in the league of the most sumptuous timepieces ever made, highly coveted treasures, guarded like gold by their fortunate owners ever since.
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By the late 18th century, Chinese patrons requested only superlative watches, featuring finely decorated movements and also complications including repeating, music or automatons. To satisfy their desire for aesthetics, the cases had to be finely enamelled with motifs representing nature or classical scenes, set with pearls and precious stones. Many of these marvels were made for the Imperial Palace in Beijing where they can be admired still today.
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Often lost over the centuries and in particular during the tumultuous times in China, notably the first opium war in 1840 followed by the occupation of Beijing, the second opium war and the abdication of the last Emperor in 1912, to name just some, the appearance of even a single ‘survivor’ of this extremely scarce species is always greeted enthusiastically by the connoisseurs. 
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The present timepieces were serviced in a most professional manner between 1961 and 1962 by the celebrated watchmaker Louis Cottier of Carouge, Geneva, best known for his invention of the world time system.