French pocket watch with moon phase lunar calendar Circa 1865

Gold pocket watch with triple date calendar
–
Extremely fine and very rare 18 carat gold, painted and champlevé enamel, keyless pocket watch with triple date calendar with digital months, moon phase, a lunar calendar and gold wheel train. Made circa 1865.
Four body, bassine et filets and polished case with correctors in the band and the back cover with a finely enamelled oval portrait of the Russian Tsar Alexander II and hinged gold cuvette. The outer border is decorated with gold foliage and white champlevé enamel flowers on a black champlevé enamel ground.
White enamel dial with radial Roman numerals, outer minute track with Arabic five minute numerals, subsidiary dials for the date and days of the week, apertures for the months and moon phases with a lunar calendar on the edge and gold spade hands.
Matte gilt movement with 17 jewels, wolf’s tooth winding, gold wheel train, straight line lever escapement, cut bimetallic compensation balance with gold timing screws, blued steel Breguet balance spring and an index regulator.
Dial, cuvette and movement signed.
–
Diameter: 50 mm
–
Signed: Charles Oudin
–
Charles Oudin was born in Clermont in 1772. He was a pupil of Breguet and one of his best foremen. He devised a way of fitting equation of time to souscription watches. Oudin was in business on his own in the Galerie de Pierre, Palais Royal, from circa 1804 to 1825 and was then succeeded by his son, who transferred the firm to Galerie Montpensier from 1830-1840 and subsequently took Détouche into partnership. A. Charpentier was the successor to Oudin Fils, using the signature: Charles Oudin à Paris. Horloger de L.L. M.M.. l’Empereur et l’Impératrice de Russie. To accompany the display at the 1862 Exhibition in London, they produced a book entitled:  ‘Catalogue of Chief Exhibits’ by Oudin-Charpentier, principal clockmaker to their Majesties The Queen and King of Spain and to the Imperial Navy. Oudin-Charpentier was made the official watchmaker of the French Navy. A mosaic which still exists today at No. 52 Place du Palais Royal, which bears witness to his title ‘Horloger de la Marine Nationale’. Considering the quality of his work, it is surprising that so little is recorded about his life. The Oudin Company perpetuated the Breguet tradition Alexander II of Russia (1818-1881). Also known as Alexander the Liberator, he was Tsar of Russia from March 1855 until his assassination in 1881. Alexander was also King of Poland and Grand Prince of Finland. He is known to posterity as a leader able to implement the most challenging reforms undertaken in Russia since the time of Peter the Great.

This fine watch was perhaps made for a present to Alexander II and would certainly have been extremely expensive when new. The portrait of the Tsar, in the manner of Pavel Rizzoni, is finely executed and in very good condition.