German gold pocket watch with cylinder escapement Circa 1800

Open faced pocket watch by Antoine Nicolas Delolme
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A fine German gentleman’s pocket watch with cylinder escapement, circa 1800. This watch boasts an 18 carat rose gold tiered and polished case with a large lateral hinge and the names of the former watch owners engraved on the reverse side. The movement protection cap is also signed. The enamel dial is signed and features radial Roman hours, radial Arabic minutes, centre seconds, and Fleur de Lys hands. The fine full plate movement is keywind, fire gilt, signed, and includes a chain/fusee mechanism, solid movement pillars, a cylinder escapement, a three-arm brass balance, and a large engraved and pierced balance bridge.
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Diameter: 58 mm
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Weight: 133 g
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Signed: Antoine Nicolas Delolme à Paris
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Antoine Nicolas Delolme was a court watchmaker in Braunschweig, Germany. He was born in 1752 as the son of the Geneva-born watchmakers Jean Delolme and Anne Elisabeth Aubanel. His grandfather, Théophile Delolme, was also a watchmaker in Kassel. Delolme underwent training under Herzogl Hof and, with constant input, passed the proper examination regulations for master watchmakers in 1799. It was a requirement to create a masterpiece to receive a license.
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Antoine Nicolas Delolme, in addition to his role as a leader of the French Reformed Evangelical Congregation in Braunschweig, married Anna Katharina Sara Schwartz in 1780. Anna Katharina Sara Schwartz was the daughter of Franz Christian Schwarz, a watchmaker in Braunschweig. The couple had ten children, although sadly, four of them passed away early in life. Two of their sons pursued careers as merchants, while their youngest son, Henry Delolme, born in 1799, became a watchmaker and eventually relocated to London. Three of their daughters became governesses, with the notable middle daughter Louise Delolme (1791-1851) working as an educator in noble families. Louise Delolme later served as a governess and companion to two queens at the Danish court, including her close friend Queen Caroline Amalie of Denmark.
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Christian Friedrich Tiede worked for Delolme as a watchmaker for five years. Jean-Marc Antoine Nicolas, later known as Antoine, passed away at the age of 84 in 1836.