Exquisite French Rococo gold enamel verge repeater Circa 1760

18 Carat gold pocket watch
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An exquisite Rococo gold enamel verge repeater à toc et à tact (dumb and touch), made by Pierre Michaud in Paris, France, circa 1760. The extravagant open faced case of this watch is crafted from 18 Carat gold has fine sound openings, a bell and a very fine quality enamel painting on the back. The white enamel dial has an outer ring with Arabic quarter numerals outside and hour numerals (inside) and gold hands. The florally decorated movement has a verge escapement and repeating hours and quarters on the bell or on the case.
Movement signed and numbered.
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Diameter: 40 mm
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Weight: 64 g
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Signed: P. Michaud à Paris 
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Pierre Michaud
Pierre Michaud was a famous French watchmaker circa 1760. He had two listed signatures ‘Michau’ and ‘Michaud’. Pierre Michaud was, originally, from Orléans and became a master in Geneva in 1771. He seems to have had an earlier career in Paris, as this watch would indicate, but there are no traces of him in the records of the time. He is likely to have been a Protestant, as the choice of the scene on the enamelled case would suggest and his religion would have prevented his becoming a master watchmaker in Paris.
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Tact watch (“for the blind”)
The production of the first “touch (à tact) watch” by Breguet was in 1799. Breguet equipped these watches with mechanisms that enable their wearers to tell the time by touch alone. A pointer on the outside of the case mirrors the position of the hour hand of the watch. By feeling the position of the pointer, the wearer can deduce the time from its position in relation to studs aligned with the hours. Available for purchase starting in 1799, the touch (à tact) watch (sometimes known as the “watch for the blind”) lent itself to a great wealth and variety of embellishment, including enamel, pearls, and diamonds. With a few exceptions, the touch system was confined (for obvious reasons) to simple, nonstriking watches.