English gold pair cased Grande Sonnerie watch Circa 1794

Gold verge open faced watch by Daniel de St. Leu
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An important, fine pair cased verge pocket watch with self striking quarters “Grande Sonnerie” by Daniel de St. Leu, Watchmaker to Her Majesty, London circa 1794. An 18 carat pink gold, paircase, splendid first case, elaborately engraved, illustration of different weapons on the back, pierced fine sound opening; second case also splendidly engraved with floral ornaments, a quiver with arrows, bell, very fine and complicated verge movement with original dome, matching number on the case and movement, dome and plate signed Daniel de St. Leu, watchmaker to Her Majesty, London, quarter self-striking on the bell, original and signed enamel dial, Ottoman numerals, pink golden hands, in working order, striking needs adjusting.
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Diameter: 60 mm
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Weight: 177 g
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Signed: Daniel de St. Leu  London
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Daniel de St. Leu originally came from Geneva and worked from 1753 to 1797; he created some of the most beautiful and complex watches of the 18th century. In 1765 he was appointed as a watchmaker to Queen Charlotte, wife of King George III – the fact that all of de St. Leu’s watches after this year are either signed ‘Sevt. to her Majesty’, or ‘Watch Maker to her Majesty’, which is a proof that he held this title for the rest of his life. De St. Leu was specialized in the production of watches for the wealthy Ottoman market, where the clientele wanted their watches to be pieces of jewelry, often with lavish gold cases, with decoration and precious stones. In the 18th century, English watches were very popular on Ottoman market and have been exported in great numbers.