French 18K gold à toc et à tact pocket watch in four shades Circa 1800

Gold open faced pocket watch by Philibert
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A French 18 carat gold à toc et à tact striking pocket watch in four shades: yellow, green, pink, and white, circa 1800. This watch features a movement with toc et à tact striking mechanism, signed Philibert à Paris, and is key winding. It has a white enamel dial with Roman numerals for the hours, railway hour markers, and Arabic numerals for the minutes. The case is made of 18 carat pink and green gold. The case back is edged with an interlacing frieze, decorated with a hunting trophy in a cartouche, set against an engine turned background.
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Diameter: 40.8 mm
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Weight: 59.22 g
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Signed: Philibert à Paris
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Accompanied by a one key wound 18 carat yellow gold giletière style herringbone link watch chain and enamelled rings decorated with floral friezes. Weight: 17.15 g. Total length: 41 cm.
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À tact watch
Repeater watch (see complication) in which hammer and bell are replaced by a sharp pin which protrudes from the case to prick the finger once for each hour.
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A type of watch made after 1795 by Abraham Louis Breguet to give time by touch. In the late eighteenth century, it was considered impolite to consult one’s watch in company, a question of etiquette which the à tact watch helped to solve (the French tact, meaning touch, has given the English tact and tactful). Knobs representing the hours are positioned around the case with a large hand that could be turned until it met resistance. Its position in relation to the knobs gave the time. This kind of tactile watch is now mainly used by the blind and visually impaired.
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À toc watch
A dumb repeater watch in which a hammer strikes the inside of the case to produce a muffled sound. Imagined by Julien Le Roy circa 1750.