French centre seconds cylinder watch with chatelaine Circa 1790

Gold and enamel watch chatelaine by Jean Pierre Gregson
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a French gold and enamel centre seconds cylinder watch with matching chatelaine, circa 1790. The timepiece features a gilded movement with cylinder escapement, a plain three-arm balance, and a standing barrel. It includes a white enamel dial with Arabic numerals, an outer ring for minutes/seconds, gold hands, and blued steel centre seconds. The gold case has a back with grey translucent enamel over an engine-turned ground, opaque white enamel central oval crest composed of polychrome enamel painted flaming torch, spear, and butterfly. Both bezels are adorned with deep blue guilloché enamel heightened with gold flowers, a plain stirrup pendant and bow, and a gilt metal cuvette with apertures for winding and directionals, signed Gregson Hor.r du Roy à Paris, no. 1967.
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The chatelaine is made of gold and enamel, decorated en suite with the watch case, and comprises three central gold chains interspersed by roundels of grey guilloché enamel bordered by white opaque enamel. It is joined to four smaller pendant chains via a guilloché enamel panel, with a polychrome enamel crest matching that of the watch case on one side and a monogram on the reverse. The four smaller pendant chains terminate in a key, two tassels, and a seal, with the hardstone setting of the seal engraved with the torch/spear/butterfly crest, and each of the terminals decorated with enamel. It also features a gilt metal pendant hook.
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Diameter: 55 mm
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Chatelaine length: 240 mm
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Signed: Gregson Hor.r du Roy à Paris
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The movement is not functioning due to a broken end of the arbour for setting the hands at the centre. The dial, which is only visible through glass, has an arc-form hairline near the 10 o’clock position but appears to be in good condition otherwise. The case has two or three hairline cracks in the grey enamel above the 6 o’clock position on the back and a small repair to the white enamel banding of the front bezel at 5 o’clock. There are rubbed marks on the back, possibly “LF” or “LFL” within a decorative cartouche, as well as a control mark on the pendant that is difficult to decipher. The crest panel of the chatelaine has been restored in soft enamel, and some of the pendant chains have areas of repair in soft enamel. The key also has some chips and losses to the enamel.
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Jean Pierre Gregson, a Parisian court watchmaker of English descent, originally hailed from England. In 1776, he became the Royal Court Watchmaker in Paris and set up his shop in the Rue Dauphine, parish of Saint-André-des-Arts. Before his move to Paris in the latter half of the 18th century, he honed his craft in London, where he was married to Élisabeth Jefferson. Gregson was recognized as a highly skilled master and was among the first watchmakers to utilize Lépine’s bridge calibre. His appointment as court watchmaker in 1776 was soon reflected in the names of his watches, initially signed “Gregson à Paris” and later “Héger du Roy”. In 1786, he was appointed as a member of a commission to establish a royal manufacture, alongside renowned French watchmakers such as Breguet, Berthoud, and Lepaute. However, after the outbreak of the French Revolution, Gregson relinquished his title of Royal Watchmaker, as it was not conducive to his business.
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Gregson’s watchmaking style favoured complicated escapements and unique designs, often incorporating cylinder or comma escapements in his pocket watches, as well as the wolf tooth mechanism. He also crafted gold enamel watches with comma escapements, visible balance wheels, central seconds, and pocket watches with chronometer escapements. In 1790, Gregson returned to London and established a new workshop, known as “Gregson London”, where he continued to produce clocks in the French style. Between 1800 and 1815, he briefly collaborated with a colleague named Jefferson, using the signature “Gregson & Jefferson, London”.