Swiss repeater with rare Debaufré escapement Circa 1830

Gold open faced pocket watch by Vaucher
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An extremely rare Swiss quarter repeating pocket watch with mock pendulum and Debaufré escapement, jumping centre seconds and regulator dial – for the Chinese market, circa 1830. The watch features an 18-carat gold case with a reeded band, a signed dome, and a case maker punch mark FLB. The enamel dial displays Arabic numerals for the peripheral hour indication, centre seconds, an aperture for the mock pendulum, and Breguet hands. The full plate movement is fire gilt and has two hammers/two gongs, a Debaufré escapement, a three-arm ring balance, and a diamond endstone on balance.
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Diameter: 58 mm
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Weight: 136 g
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Signed: Vaucher à Paris
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Pocket watches with mock pendulum, and repeater are very hard to find. Similar watches are illustrated and described in: “La Montre Chinoise” by Alfred Chapuis, Geneva 1983. P. Debaufré invented the Debaufré Escapement in 1704, distinguished by having two escape wheels mounted on the same arbour. The escape wheels are staggered. They interact with a semi-circular, wedge-shaped pallet on the balance staff with chamfered edges. The wheels alternately rest on the flat underside or escape past it, imparting the impulse to the balance.