French 18K gold hunting cased repeating precision watch Circa 1875

Gold small quarter repeater
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An exquisite full hunter cased quarter repeating pocket watch made by Breguet student Charles Oudin in Paris, France, circa 1875. This case of this numbered watch was crafted from 18 carat gold and has an applied decoration on the front lid, its white enamel dial has Roman hours, an outer minute track with Arabic five minute numerals, a subsidiary seconds dial at 6 o’clock and blued steel hands. The movement has a very fine precision lever escapement and repeats the hours and quarter hours.
Dial and cuvette are signed.
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Diameter: 34 mm
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Weight: 47 g
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Signed: Charles Oudin Horloger de la Marine 17. Avenue De L’Opéra Paris
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Oudin
Charles Oudin was a renowned watchmaker and Breguet student. He devised a version of the equation of time feature that could be integrated into Breguet’s souscription watches. He established his own workshop in Paris at the Palais Tribunat in 1804, then at the Galerie de Pierre from 1810 to 1820. In 1819, one of Oudin’s Equation of Time watches was showcased at the Paris Exhibition.

Charles was succeeded by his son, who transferred the firm to Galerie Montpensier in 1830, where it remained until 1840, and subsequently took Detouche into partnership. By 1850, the company had moved to Palais National and finally to Palais Royal in 1860.

A. Charpentier was successor to Oudin Fils using the signature: Charles Oudin à Paris, Horloger de L.L. M.M., l’Empereur et l’Impératrice de Russie. For the 1862 Exhibition in London, Oudin-Charpentier made a book titled: ‘Catalogue of Chief Exhibits by Oudin-Charpentier, principal clockmakers to their Majesties the Queen and King of Spain and to the Imperial Navy’.

Considering the quality of Oudin’s work, it is surprising so little is recorded about his life.