English/Dutch gold watch in shagreen protective case Circa 1720

Gold, brass, shagreen and piqué clock watch by Clarke & Dunster
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An English/Dutch gold repoussé and chased triple-cased pocket watch with brass, shagreen and piqué protective case, circa 1720.
The gilt brass movement features cylindrical ringed pillars, a fusee and chain, verge escapement, three-arm steel balance, flat balance spring, a continental style pierced and chased balance cock, and a silvered regulation dial. The enamel dial displays Roman radial hours and an outer minutes track with Arabic five minutes numerals, although the hands are unfortunately missing. The timepiece is housed in three cases: an outer case made of brass and shagreen with piqué detailing, a middle case made of gold with repoussé, chased, and pierced designs, and an inner case made of smooth gold with a cartouche, pierced details, and engravings.
This watches most outstanding feature is the finely chased gold bas-relief showing Apollo with his lyre enthroned in a temple. Three female figures appear to introduce him to a man in an 18th-century robe, possibly a dignitary for whom this watch was made. Four individual portraits surrounding the main scene represent the four seasons. The iconography of Apollo, the Sun God, and the Four Seasons was particularly fashionable between the 1660s and 1750s.
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Diameter: 60 mm
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Unsigned.
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This highly elaborate triple-case gold watch is a supreme example of the Anglo-Dutch firm Clarke and Dunster, a partnership between Christopher Clarke and Roger Dunster, active in Amsterdam and London from 1703 to about 1725-1730.
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Clarke & Dunster was a clock manufacturing company established by Christopher Clarke and Roger Dunster around 1703. The company had its main office in Amsterdam, but it is believed that they also had a branch in London. Clarke, who was an English watchmaker by profession, tied the knot with Anna, the daughter of Ahasuerus Fromanteel, in 1694 in Amsterdam. The company specialized in selling high-quality large and small clocks in Dutch and English markets. After 1830, Dunster continued to operate under his name while Clarke relocated to London.