Early French gilt hunting cased pendant watch Circa 1640

Gilded brass pre balance spring verge watch
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A very fine French gilt brass hunting cased pre balance spring, single handed pendant watch with barleycorn engraving made by Jolly in Paris, circa 1640. A fermée type case with curved-in edge, formed of eight lobes engraved with what was later to be called the Barleycorn pattern, centred by a rosette, a front cover en suite, round pendant and loose ring. Gilt dial, silver chapter ring with radial champlevé Roman hour numerals, half hour markers fixed to a gilt brass plate showing a central engraved city scene, stylized foliage on the border and a blued steel hand. Hinged, gilt brass full plate movement with turned baluster pillars, fusee and gut, a short train, verge escapement, circular iron foliot, irregular pinned cock and pierced and engraved gilt brass click for the ratchet wheel mainspring set up. Signed on the backplate.
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Diameter: 35 mm
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Signed: Jolly Paris
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This watch, remarkable for its case decoration, affords a rare glimpse of the beginnings of engine turning. The case is meticulously engraved with a very small zigzag pattern, forming an appealing and elegant design. Executing such a design by hand was difficult and time consuming, and a single mistake would destroy the effect. It was for these reasons that the special machine was invented and the work it performed was called engine turning. The machine could be used for turning any article, much the same as a common lathe, but it has additional parts that can be used to engrave a great variety of patterns of curved lines. These generally derive from the French rosette, hence the name of the machine: the rose engine.