Extraordinary 22K gold watch for Chinese market Circa 1788

Gold clock watch with hour repeating and centre seconds by Francis Perigal
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A fine and heavy English 22 carat gold, enamel, half pearl and ruby set pair cased hour repeating clock watch with centre seconds made for the Chinese market, circa 1788. Highly complicated cylinder movement with centre seconds, hour repeating and hour self striking mechanism, muting device at two o’clock, seconds stop lever between ten and eleven o clock. Hour repeating by a light push of the pendant, like a trip repeater.
White enamel dial with Roman hours and Arabic minutes, original gold hands. Enamelled gold outer case set with rubies and half pearls to both sides, translucent blue enamel engine turned case back, radially engraved background, in the foreground a bird with spread wings sitting on a vase, sound openings, massive five-part hinge, gold inner case florally engraved and pierced. Movement and cuvette signed and numbered.
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Diameter: 52 mm
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Weight: 164 g
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Signed: Fras Perigal London
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Trip repeaters allow the user to elegantly and effortless sound the repeater with the light push of a button.
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Francis Perigal worked from about 1770 until his death in 1794. In 1781 he was released honorary as a member of the watchmaker guild. He produced extremely fine and highly interesting timepieces and became ‘Watchmaker to the King’ in 1784. The almost similar sister watch No. 19390 is identical except for the enamel scene to the back was sold for circa 30.000 Swiss Francs.
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Reference 0150000