French leather covered gilt brass single hand oignon watch Circa 1700

Gilt brass open faced verge oignon watch by Dumont Frères
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A fine and rare French, leather covered gilt brass single hand oignon watch, circa 1700. The watch features a hinged, gilt full plate movement with divided Egyptian pillars, a fusee and chain mechanism, and a verge escapement with a steel balance and a short balance spring. It includes a large continental balance cock, intricately pierced and chased with stylised foliage, as well as a rack and pinion regulator with a silver dial. The movement is signed. The chased gilt brass dial is adorned with white enamel cartouches, blue radial Roman numerals, an inner quarter hour track, and a centre design featuring exotic birds and foliage. It is complemented by a decorative later hand. The oignon case is covered in leather, tooled with gold in an elaborate rosette pattern, and features a bezel decorated with a repeated gold tooling design. A loose ring pendant completes the piece.
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Diameter: 57 mm
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Weight: 158 g.
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Signed: Dumont Frères, Besançon
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The movement is running. The case is in fair condition, showing visible wear and signs of ageing. There is some rust, along with scratches and dents. The dial is also in fair condition, with scratches, stains, fine cracks, and areas of minor restoration. The hand is from a later period.
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Dumont Frères Claude-Guillemin Dumont served his apprenticeship in Paris and London. He travelled to Besançon in 1693, becoming a resident in 1697. He and his brother Pierre-François made the horloge de l’hôpital in 1704. They maintained the city’s clocks up until 1722. They made the clock of the Maison de Bellevaux in 1726. Their signatures were as follows: Dumont à Besançon, Les Frères Dumont à Besançon, and Dumont frères à Besançon. A watch signed Les Frères Dumont à Besançon, from circa 1690-1700, is in the Musée de Besançon