English gold centre seconds duplex repeater Circa 1804

Gold dumb quarter repeating center seconds duplex watch
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An English rare and very fine gold pair cased dumb quarter repeating center seconds duplex watch with stop slide movement, circa 1804, gilded full plate movement, duplex escapement, three arm balance with gold compensation screws, off set bi metallic spiral compensation, decoratively pierced balance bridge engraved with scrolling foliage, repeating on blocks to the inside case back, fusee and chain, cylindrical pillars, gilt metal dust cap with an aperture to reveal bridge cock, movement signed  Vulliamy, London.
White enamel dial, Roman numerals, outer Arabic minute ring, centre seconds, skeletonized heart shaped hands.
Plain gold inner case, stop slide to the bezel at 3 o’clock, winding aperture to back, gold outer case chased and engraved with the crest of George Spencer, the fourth Duke of Marlborough, outer case with Justin Vulliamy watch paper bordered with equation calendar.
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Diameter: 52 mm
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Signed: Vulliamy London
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The back of the outer case has the crest of George Spencer (1738-1817), the fourth duke of Marlborough, together with the Order of the Garter and motto in relief. A surviving Vulliamy daybook records that the movement, dial and hands were sold to the Duke on 31st January 1804 and fitted, according to his request, to previously supplied cases. At the same time, the old movement was fitted to a new case for a total of 120 guineas. A search made by Roger Smith into Vulliamy’s records held at the Public Record Office – the extant day books start in the 1790s – revealed the entry [C104/58/1, Day Book 31] which describes the movement, stating that it included “one of the best-coiled thermometers,” this is visible to the backplate and is a bimetallic spiral compensation. Vulliamy abandoned the spiral system of compensation soon after this watch was made and continued to use a U shaped curb.

The Duke of Marlborough took a keen interest in science.  In 1786, he was made a fellow of the Royal Society and indeed would have enjoyed owning a watch with this advanced mechanism. He perhaps had a sentimental attachment to the old case and hence was keen to be able to use it with his latest watch acquisition.