English pair cased Grande Sonnerie verge watch Circa 1790

Fire gilt pair cased watch by Daniel de St. Leu
–
An important, fine English pair cased verge pocket watch with quarter hour self strike “Grande Sonnerie”, for the Ottoman market, circa 1790.
Two cases: fire gilt outer case with green and brown tortoiseshell, ornamented band and large lateral hinge; firegilt inner case, the sides richly florally engraved and pierced with a signed movement protection cap. The signed dial is enamel with radial Ottoman numerals and gold Scotties hands. And the signed, frosted gilt full plate movement is keywind, with applied florally engraved and pierced ornaments, chain/fusee, two hammers/one bell, solid circular pillars, verge escapement, three-arm brass balance and a pierced balance cock.
–
Diameter: 64 mm
–
Weight: 218 g
–
Signed: Daniel de St. Leu, Watchmaker to Her Majesty, London
–
Daniel de St. Leu
Daniel de St. Leu originally came from Geneva and worked from 1753 to 1797; he created some of the most beautiful and intricate watches of the eighteenth century. In 1765 he was appointed 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’ is 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 jewellery, often in lavish gold cases with elaborate decoration and set with precious stones. In the 18th century, English watches were very much in demand on the Ottoman market and exported in great numbers from England. R. Rolt states in ‘A New Dictionary of Trade and Commerce’, 1756, that “Great quantities of watches are exported to Asia, particularly to Turkey; where they serve more for ornaments like pictures in rooms, than for use in pockets.” Daniel de St. Leu created movements of superior quality and put them in extravagant cases – the perfect timepieces for the Ottoman market.