French 18K gold and enamel quarter repeating verge Circa 1810

Gold enamel repeating verge pocket watch by Breguet
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An unusual, very fine French 18K gold and enamel open faced quarter repeating verge pocket watch studded with paste stones, circa 1810.
The front bezel is set with paste stones, the case back with an oval polychrome enamel painting of a dog and two doves in an Egyptian landscape setting with a palm tree and pyramids in the background also decorated with paste stones, a lavishly ornamented paillon decorated vase in the centre, the whole on an engine-turned cobalt blue enamelled ground, an opaque black frame with blue paillon flowers, rear bell. White enamel dial with Arabic numerals and outer minute divisions. Full plate movement, keywind, two hammers, verge escapement, three-arm brass balance.
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Diameter: 54 mm
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Weight: 111 g
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Signed: Breguet à Paris
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The subject of the enamel scene is extremely unusual and dates from Napoleon’s first Egyptian campaigns (1798-1801).
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A.L. Breguet was the best and the most renowned watchmaker of his time. He was also a most sought-after victim of counterfeiting, which made him create a secret signature to distinguish his authentic works from the forgeries. Numerous counterfeit watches with Breguet’s forged signature were produced during his lifetime and even after his death. Most of these watches were of poor quality or not even of a type ever produced by Breguet. Fakes often appear to be of genuine Breguet origin, but to the eyes of a connoisseur, the quality and technical details make the forgery glaringly obvious. However, this is an exceptionally rare watch of very high-quality even if it was not made by Breguet.