Early English gold pair cased verge with self strike Circa 1785

Gold chatelaine watch 
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A magnificent, early pair cased verge pocket watch with self strike and fire gilt chatelaine made for the Ottoman market by the royal watchmaker Daniel de St. Leu in London, England, circa 1785. The numbered cases of this watch are crafted from 18 carat gold and have the typical De St. Leu military decoration with cannons and flags on the back of the outer case, the inner case is pierced and engraved with mostly floral motifs. The white enamel dial has Ottoman hour numerals and gold spade hands. The numbered and richly decorated fire gilded movement has a verge escapement and quarter hour self strike through a rare double hour striking mechanism.
Case, dust cover and movement have matching numbers, dial, dust cover and movement are signed.
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Diameter: 60 mm
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Weight: 171 g
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Signed: Dan^L de St Leu Watch Maker to her Majesty London
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The present watch is a rare collector’s item. An identical De St. Leu timepiece was part of an auction in 1992 and achieved CHF 12.600.
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Daniel de St. Leu
Daniel De St. Leu was a Genevan of origin. As a watchmaker, he worked in Geneva and London. De St. Leu was listed in London from 1753 until 1797.
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He manufactured some of the most exquisite and elaborate watches of the 18th century. Gaining royal favour, he was appointed watchmaker to Queen Charlotte, wife of King George III, in 1765, a title he held for the rest of his life, since all his watches after this date are either signed ‘Sevt. to her Majesty’ or ‘Watch Maker to her Majesty’.
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He crafted movements of superior quality and specialized in making watches for affluent Ottoman clients, who requested their watches to be as pieces of jewellery, preferably in lavish decorated gold cases and set with precious stones. In the 18th century, the export of English watches to the Ottoman Empire was conducted on a large scale.
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In his book ‘A New Dictionary of Trade and Commerce’ from 1756, Richard Rolt states that “Great quantities of watches are exported to Asia, particularly to Turkey, where they serve more for ornaments like pictures in rooms, than for use in pockets.”