English rose gold triple cased repeating duplex Circa 1800

Rose gold quarter repeating duplex watch
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An exceptional, rare, and heavy English 18 carat rose gold triple cased quarter repeating pocket watch made by Parkinson & Frodsham in London, bearing London hallmarks for 1800. It has a full plate gilt key winding movement with a high grade ruby duplex escapement, a chain and fusee, an intricately engraved balance cock, and a quarter repeating mechanism striking on an internal bottom bell. The engine turned silvered dial shows applied rose gold Roman numeral hour markers, an outer minute dot track, and elaborate rose gold hands.
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The movement and inner cases are protected by a triple case construction. This includes an outer rose gold plated protective shell decorated with green and brown tortoiseshell inlay, piqué nail work, and sound apertures; an intermediate pierced and engraved 18 carat rose gold protective case; and an 18 carat rose gold inner case detailed with pierced sound openings, rocailles, grotesque masks, floral motifs, and an engraved view of a castle near the pendant. The movement plate is signed Parkinson & Frodsham, London.
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Diameter: 75 mm
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Weight: 272 g
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Signed: Parkinson & Frodsham London
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Parkinson & Frodsham was one of London’s premier horological partnerships during the late 18th and early 19th centuries, celebrated for producing precision chronometers and top tier complicated timepieces. Triple cased watches intended for export or high status presentation are exceptionally rare when combined with a solid gold construction and a quarter repeater movement. The use of a ruby duplex escapement highlights the firm’s dedication to precision, while the combination of tortoise shell piqué work and elaborate rococo goldsmithing makes this timepiece a masterwork of Georgian English decorative watchmaking.