English gold and enamel repoussé repeater watch Circa 1740

Important museum quality half quarter repeater watch
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Important, museum quality gold and enamel repoussé pocket watch with a half quarter repeater, made by Abraham  Benson in London, England, circa 1740. The watch features a pair case crafted from gold. The protective case is pierced, has a repoussé high relief with representation of a mythological, warlike scene, the case maker’s signature MD below the relief and a small missing part in the rim area. The inner case is also pierced, has a bell and an enamel painting with a very rare scene of the ‘Goddess Venus and putto on the back of a dolphin’. The case band features grimaces and mythical creatures. The enamel dial features an outer minute track with Arabic 5 minute numerals, Roman hour numerals and gold hands. The movement is fitted with an English verge escapement and an hours, quarters and half quarters repeater.
The silver dome and the movement have matching numbers and are signed.
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Diameter: 45,5 mm
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Weight: 99 g
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Signed: Abraham Benson London
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The item presented here is one of the rarest repoussé pocket watches. The version with an enamelled main case is extremely rare among these pocket watches. The watch is mentioned in the Baillie of 1951 and another of these rarities was in the ‘Musée de l’Horlogerie et de l’Emaillerie de Geneve’. Beyond these two documented pieces, no further examples appear to be known.