French 18 carat gold repeater verge watch Circa 1780

Rare watch with date and chatelaine
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An extremely rare gold and enamel verge watch with diamond setting, repeater, date and chatelaine, made by Jean-Louis Valaire in Paris, France, circa 1780. This watch features a case crafted from 18 carat gold and French gold punches, a very rare case design, set with Oriental pearls all around, the edge and the bow set with real diamonds on both sides, back with blue guilloché enamel and richly set with diamonds with one of the pearls working as a hidden opening button. The white enamel dial has an outer minute and hour track with black Arabic 15 minute numerals and Roman hour numerals,  Arabic numerals for the day of the month and the original gold hands. The numbered movement features a verge escapement and an hours and quarter repeater à toc.

The dial and movement are signed.
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Diameter: 44 mm
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Weight: 59 g
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Signed: Valaire à Paris
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Valaire
Jean-Louis Valaire was a watchmaker active in Paris in the late 18th century. Watches from this period signed “Valaire à Paris” exist in collections and have been sold at auction. The name is associated with the active and influential Parisian watchmaking scene of the late 18th century, which included other notable masters like Jean-Antoine Lépine and Abraham-Louis Breguet.