French 20 carat gold repeater pocket watch Circa 1820

Gold pocket watch with Directoire ornamental key
–
A very rare gold pocket watch with repeater and seconds, made by Le Paute Horloger de l’Empereur in Paris, France, circa 1820. The numbered case of this watch was crafted from 20 carat gold and features the French 20K gold punch and is engine turned on the back with an empty cartouche. The white enamel dial features an outer track with Arabic 15 minute numerals, Arabic hour numerals and a subsidiary seconds dial at 6:30 o’clock and steel hands. The very fine and rare movement is fitted with a cylinder escapement, a quarter repeater and an early seconds display in an unusual position.
The cuvette is numbered and the dial and cuvette are signed.
–
Diameter: 57 mm
–
Weight: 137 g
–
Signed: LePaute, H^GER de l’Empereur à Paris
–
The item presented here is a very high quality watch with an extremely rare caliber and comes with a matching and probably original Directoire splendour key with red moss agate for the time setting and additionally another key for the winding.
–
LePaute
The Lepaute family was one of the most prestigious dynasties in French horology, serving as official clockmakers to French monarchs and emperors for over a century. The Lepautes were among France’s leading manufacturers of watches and clocks. Among the family members were inventors, writers, researchers and excellent master craftsmen.
Their customers included Louis XV, Louis XVI, Madame du Barry, Duc de Bourbon, the Princesse de Monaco, King Ferdinand VI, King Charles III and Charles.
The prominence of the Lepaute family as official royal watchmakers ended in 1848, coinciding with the fall of the French monarchy and the abdication of King Louis-Philippe. Thereafter, the firm survived for another century by shifting its focus to industrial technology and the Lepaute company officially ceased operations in 1972.