English gold repeating pocket chronometer watch Circa 1840

Repeater with spring detent escapement
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An 1/8 repeating English pocket chronometer with spring detent escapement, circa 1840.
18 carat gold case with case maker’s punch mark “LC” (Louis Comptesse, Soho, London). Off-white signed enamel dial with Roman numerals, sunk subsidiary dial for the seconds and fine Fleur-De-Lys steel hands. Full plate movement with spring detent escapement in manner of Thomas Earnshaw, bimetallic big chronometer balance with gold screws, diamond endstone, engraved bridge, repeating hours, quarters and 1/8.
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Diameter: 53 mm
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Weight: 151 g
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Signed: George Moore, London
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George Moore (1814-1894) of 23 Percival Street in Clerkenwell lived at that address until 1859; from 1860 until 1872 he worked at 21 St. John’s Square in Clerkenwell, where he had taken over the company F.B. Adams & Sons. From 1884 on he was a partner in the company Charles Frodsham at 84 Strand for some time – this is not surprising, as his son George John Moore was a son-in-law of Charles Frodsham. He had married Hannah Mill Frodsham (born on December 7, 1839) on April 16, 1868 and they had two children; he also received a bequest from the estate of Frodsham’s wife Elizabeth.
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The maker of the gold case was Louis Comtesse at 10 East Street, Red Lion Square. Comtesse had first registered a mark (incuse) as “goldworker” on November 8, 1804; at the time he was working at 13 Batemans Buildings in Soho, where he remained until 1827. The “cameo mark” on this case was registered on March 5, 1840 and was Comtesse’s last mark.