Swiss gold and enamel quarter repeating pocket watch Circa 1790

Gold verge watch with centre-seconds
–
An extremely fine and very rare Swiss 18K gold and painted-on enamel pocket watch, circa 1790. With centre-seconds, quarter repeating, dual calendar, regulator dial and git-metal outer protecting case. The bezel inset with a fine gold rope twist bordered by white enamel lines, the band chased with a repeated leaf pattern, the back cover very finely painted with a scene of a young couple by a gold and varicoloured paillon perfume burner beneath a canopy, outer border chased with leaves inset with green translucent champlevé enamel and intersected by pastes.
–
White enamel dial, regulator-type, small meantime dial with radial Roman numerals, outer dot minute divisions and Arabic 15-minute numerals, outermost seconds divisions, subsidiary dials for the date and days of the week with their celestial symbols. Gold Breguet hour and minute hands, gold days of the week hand, blued steel seconds and date hands. A matte gilt, full plate movement, turned pillars, fuse and chain, verge escapement, brass balance with flat balance spring, continental cock with polished steel endplate, silvered regulation dial, repeating on a bell in the back of the case activated by depressing the pendant. Dial and movement signed.
–
Diameter: 54 mm
–
Signed: Jean Robert Soret  Geneva
–
Jean Robert Soret (1731-1799) Master watchmaker from a horological family of at least three generations. One member of the family, Frédéric, worked in London; he may have represented the family in the English market.