Swiss gold and painted on enamel pendant watch Circa 1690

Gold verge pocket watch by Prevost
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A fine and rare Swiss 18K gold and enamel open faced pendant watch, circa 1690. A painted on enamel scene on the deep case back depicting the Virgin and Child with St. John the Baptist, the band is painted with landscape vignettes, the bezel engraved and the interior is decorated with a polychrome enamel landscape, the enamelling attributed to Les Frères Huaud.
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White enamel dial (circa 1730) with radial Roman hours, outer minute track with large Arabic five-minute numerals and steel beetle & poker hands. A frosted gilt full plate movement with square baluster pillars, fusee and chain, verge escapement, plain brass balance with fl at balance spring, finely pierced and engraved cock with a single foot, silver regulation disc. Movement signed by the watchmaker, case signed Frères Huaud.
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Diameter: 42 mm
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Signed: Nicolas Prevost Toulouse
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Les Frères Huaut (or Huaud). The cases painted on enamel by ‘Les deux Frères Huaut’ were among the finest examples of their kind from the Geneva School and were not only highly valued when originally made, but remained as art treasures in the centuries that followed. Pierre I was the founder of the Huaud dynasty. He was born in 1612 in Geneva as the son of a French goldsmith Jean Huaud. He settled in Geneva in 1630 and three of his 11 children became famous enamellists like their father: Pierre II (1647-1698), Jean-Pierre (1655-1723) and Ami (1657-1724). The brothers were most likely trained by their father and worked with him. Pierre II started his own business around 1680. Jean-Pierre and Ami became partners in 1682 and were appointed painters to the Prussian court in 1686 when they moved to Berlin and started working for Elector Frederick William of Brandenburg (1620-1688). Among their most well-known works are Diana and Actaeon, The Judgement of Paris, The Holy Family, St. John the Baptist, The Nativity and The Adoration of the Shepherds.