Rare English 18k gold gentleman’s pocket watch Circa 1842

Gold open faced pocket watch by Le Plastrier & Young
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A rare English gentleman’s pocket watch with a pull winding mechanism via pendant, circa 1842. This timepiece features an 18-carat gold case with an engine-turned band. The back of the case is adorned with finely engraved arabesques and bears the case maker’s punch mark, IJ. The dial displays radial Roman numerals and blued Fleur de Lys hands. The full plate movement is frosted, gilt, and signed, with moulded pillars, an English lever escapement, a three-arm brass balance, and an applied regulator scale.
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Diameter: 41 mm
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Weight: 42 g
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Signed: Le Plastrier & Young, London
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William Louis Le Plastrier (also Leplastrier) was born in 1806 in Deal, near Dover in England. He was the son of Isaac Le Plastrier and Frances Trappit. Isaac was a brother of Louis Le Plastrier, William Le Plastrier, and Robert Le Plastrier. William Louis was a Jehan Le Plastrier (1420) descendant in Rouen, France. Descendants of this Jehan, a Jehan and his family fled to London as Huguenots in 1685. Several of these family members became goldsmiths or watchmakers. Father, uncle and nephew Leplastrier lost their entire fortune in an attempt to reclaim their family property and real estate in Rouen. In addition, there was a house on Rue du Gros-Horloge, where the famous big clock from Rouen is located.
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In 1821, William Louis Le Plastrier was trained as a watchmaker. He subsequently worked with his father for some time until February 1835. Then, he worked at Savory’s jewellers in Cornhill. He opened his shop, first at 8 Rockingham Row, East, New Kent Road. A year later, he was located at 22 Chancery Lane. William Louis married Sophia Merry in Saint Ann Blackfriars, London 1836. From this marriage, 10, possibly 11, children were born.
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With Richard Young, he was a business partner in the Le Plastrier & Young company until 1854. Watchmaker Richard John Morgan became a new business partner with Le Plastrier & Morgan. This ended in tragedy; the company was declared bankrupt on November 3, 1854. William Louis Le Plastrier had been serving a prison term since October.
William Louis Le Plastrier died on June 30, 1855, at 49 years old. He was buried in South Metro Cemetery in West Norwood. The prison stay was probably too difficult for him. After his death, Sophia Merry married again. She lived in Walthamstow, Essex, with her new husband, George Ramsay.