French 18K yellow gold open faced pocket watch Circa 1795

Gold open faced verge watch
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A fine French 18 carat yellow gold open faced Louis XVI style pocket watch, made by Michel Fortin in Paris, circa 1795. This timepiece has a hand wound mechanical cock movement with a verge escapement and fusee and chain system. The movement is signed Michel Fortin à Paris on the back plate. It features an intricately pierced and chased gilt brass balance bridge (coq) with foliate scrolls and a silvered regulator disc. The white enamel dial, also signed Michel Fortin à Paris, displays Roman numerals for the hours and an outer minute track. The 18 carat gold case back is elaborately chased with a central scene of a flowering basket and a quiver, framed by decorative borders. The watch is topped with a fluted pendant and circular bow.
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Diameter: 50 mm
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Weight: 65 g
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Signed: Michel Fortin à Paris
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Condition: Signs of wear, accidents to the enamel dial, and a missing winding chain.
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Michel Fortin à Paris
Michel Fortin was a distinguished Parisian master watchmaker in the second half of the 18th century, mainly during Louis XVI’s reign. He became a Master in Paris on June 11, 1770, and worked at the Quai des Augustins, a renowned centre for horological craftsmanship. His work epitomises the French Neoclassical style. Fortin was known for his high quality verge (spilgang) movements, which almost always had a finely pierced and intricately decorated balance bridge called the “coq.” His watches are celebrated for their artistic gold cases, decorated with motifs like flowering baskets, quivers of arrows, and symbols of love, characteristic of Louis XVI design. Today, Michel Fortin’s timepieces are highly prized by collectors and are part of major museum collections, including the Musée des Arts Décoratifs in Paris. His name symbolises the refined elegance and mechanical mastery of the pre Revolutionary period.