English 21 Carat gold and polychrome enamel watch Circa 1640

Gold verge with leather covered outer case by John Leroux
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A very fine, important and early English 21 Carat gold and enamel pair cased verge pocket watch, circa 1640.
Later fire gilt-brass full plate movement, verge escapement, chain and fusee, three armed brass balance.
Delicate gold and enamel dial, gold ring with black Roman hours and dots marking the half hours, the centre and edge are decorated with opaque white enamel, cloisonné and champlevé enamel flowers and leaves in light blue, dark blue and green. Chased scallop shaped inner case with six lobes, embellished with intertwining leaves and flowers of opaque white, blue and black enamel as well as translucent red, green and dark blue enamel, a leather covered outer case with gilt stud decoration.
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Diameter: 44 mm
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Weight: 87 g
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Signed: John Le Roux London
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During the 18th century, movements were regularly replaced in watches which were exclusive because of their beauty or their expensiveness, many examples in museums and private collections bear witness to the practice.
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John Leroux was a renowned maker, well known for being a fine and innovative craftsman. The fact that it was Leroux who replaced the movement in this watch suggests that it must have been of particular value to its owner. Looking at Leroux’s pieces that are held by the British Museum, it may even be assumed that he was the maker who invented draw in the lever escapement, a feature which made the lever escapement function reliably. The work of Leroux which has survived is of outstanding quality and like Emery and Grant, he was one of the very few makers of his time in London, who thoroughly appreciated the lever escapement invented by Mudge in 1754 and constantly strove to improve on it. Although he had lived and worked in London since about 1744, Leroux was not accepted into the Clockmakers’ Company until 1781.