French early silver single handed oignon watch with alarm Circa 1690

Silver verge oignon watch 
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An early single handed oignon pocket watch with alarm made by the royal watchmaker Pierre Gaudron in Paris, France, circa 1690. The open faced case of this watch, which was crafted from silver, is pierced and has a bell. The fine silver dial has white enamel cartouches with blue Roman hour numerals, and a chased and engraved center with an alarm scale featuring an unusual mechanism for setting the alarm through a central hand mounted above the hand for the time indication. The movement has a verge escapement, the earliest version of the hairspring and a pierced barrel.
The movement is signed.
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Diameter: 58 mm
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Weight: 217 g
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Signed: Gaudron à Paris
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Pierre Gaudron was the son of Antoine Gaudron the elder and brother of Antoine Gaudron the younger. He was considered an outstanding watchmaker and worked in Paris between 1690 and 1730. Gaudron became a master watchmaker in 1695. He made clocks for the government and was watchmaker to the King of France and the Duc d’Orleans. 

Gaudron is often mentioned in old watchmaking books in connection with Julien Le Roy, Jean-Baptiste Dutertre, Henry Sully and Antoine Thiout. Ferdinand Berthoud mentioned him with his remontoire (winder) in “l’Histoire de la Mesure du Temps par les Horloges”, 1802. Pierre Gaudron is probably also the author of a travel book “Mémoire du voyage de Hollande et d’Angleterre que j’ay fait cette année” about a trip in 1715 to Holland and England.

In 1745, a miniature by the Venetian artist Rosalba Carriera was bequeathed to Jean Baptiste Massé (1687-1767), engraver and miniaturist, by his friend Pierre Gaudron. Pierre died on May 20, 1745.