English gold quarter repeating verge pocket watch Circa 1794

Gold pair cased pocket watch by Eardley Norton
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An English 18 carat gold pair cased quarter repeating verge pocket watch, circa 1794. A polished à goutte case with large lateral hinge, the inner case with a florally engraved and pierced band, a rear bell. White enamel dial with radial Roman hours, outer minute divisions with Arabic five minute numerals and gold Poker & Beetle hands. Frosted gilt full plate movement with applied florally engraved ornaments, key wind, one hammer, solid round movement pillars, a three arm brass balance and very finely florally engraved and pierced balance cock. Dial signed, case numbered, dust cap and movement signed and numbered.
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Diameter: 58 mm
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Weight: 154 g
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Signed: Eardley Norton London
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Eardley Norton was an English watch and chronometer maker of great repute born in 1728 in Lincolnshire and died in 1792. He apprenticed as a clockmaker on 25 May 1743 to Robert Dawson of Alford, in 1760, he was working in London at 49 St. John Street, Clerkenwell and was a member of the Clockmakers’ Company from 1770 until he died. He mainly made complicated timepieces but also had his name on some cheaper watches, which he signed with Yeldrae (Eardley backwards). His name was further sometimes faked on Swiss watches. In 1771, he patented a new type of striking mechanism for clocks and watches. For George III he made a Royal watch collection of which the showpiece was an astronomical clock with four dials. Norton received 1.042 pounds sterling for these watches, a considerable sum at that time. Another notable work is the musical clock he made for the Russian Tsarina Katharina.