French gold quarter repeating duplex watch Circa 1829

Rare gold quarter repeating duplex pocket watch
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An English quarter repeating duplex influenced by Breguet in a gold open faced case, hallmarked London circa 1829. Key wind gilt bar movement with suspended going barrel. Plain cock with polished steel regulator, diamond end stone. Compensation balance with blue steel spiral hairspring. Duplex escapement, brass escape wheel, pivots with end stones. Quarter repeating on two polished steel gongs operated by a pull and twist plunger in the band. Engine turned gold dial with subsidiary seconds, faded Roman numerals and blue steel hands. Engine turned 18 Carat open face case, pull and twist repeat plunger in the band at three o’clock, with ribbed middle. Signed and numbered clip on gold cuvette locked by a screw (now lacking). Maker’s mark ‘CAP’ in an oval.
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Diameter: 43 mm
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Signed: Arnold and Dent 84 Strand London
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An interesting watch, both for its design and signature. It bears a number of influences from the French maker, A L Breguet. These include the pull and twist repeating plunger, invented by Breguet. The foot of a gong bridging it and its placement in the band with rather than through the pendant is also peculiar to the French master. The way the gold cuvette is secured by a screw to the movement is another feature used almost exclusively by Breguet, although Dent has used a belt and braces approach by making it clip to the case band. Breguet relied on the screw to hold the cuvette into a recess in the case.
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It would appear the watch started manufacture before Arnold and Dent became partners on September 30th, 1830 but was sold afterwards. The movement is engraved ‘Dent, London – 264’. This number appears to agree with a chronometer by E.J. Dent, No. 226, also hallmarked 1829. The cuvette however is signed ‘Arnold and Dent   84 Strand   London   3940′ which is in line with Arnold’s numbering of a watch No. 3840, hallmarked 1826. Hans Staeger notes in the book that Arnold and Dent watch No. 4007, hallmarked 1831 bears the address ’84 Strand’ for the first time. This watch pre-dates it and is probably the earliest known at that address.