French 18 Carat gold quarter repeating cylinder watch Circa 1818

Gold quarter repeater with hidden portrait by Breguet
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A very rare French 18 Carat gold open faced quarter repeating cylinder pocket watch, circa 1818. Sold to Comte Alfred de Montesquiou for 2.700 francs. Cylinder movement, key winding. Hinged cuvette with concealed miniature portrait of a lady crafted on a thin plate of ivory, the young attractive lady wearing jewellery and a pearl-set tiara is Countess Alfred de Montesquiou-Fézensac signed Jacques and dated 1819. Gilt guilloché dial. The case back engine-turned. Case signed and numbered, dial signed, cuvette and movement numbered. Comes with a handwritten invoice, display stand, 18 Carat gold chain and key.
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Diameter: 53 mm
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Signed: Breguet
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Former property of the Marquis de Brantes, by descent.
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Countess Alfred de Montesquiou-Fézensac, born Madeleine Perron, was the daughter of General Pierre Cuillier-Perron (1754-1834), a soldier of fortune in India. Perron jumped ship from the French Royal Navy off the Malabar coast in 1780, whence he made his way to upper India, enlisting first in the Rana of Gohads troops, and then under de Boigne, who appointed him to the command of his second brigade. Upon de Boigne’s retirement, Perron became commander in chief of Maratha General Mahadji Sindhias’ army, defeating the Rajput forces at the battle of Malpura in 1800. In 1803, Perron defected to the British and subsequently returned to France with a large fortune, dying in 1834 at his Château du Fresne in the Loire Valley.
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Comte Alfred de Montesquiou, who originally ordered the watch from Breguet in 1818, passed it down to the family. When Comte François de Brantes married Aymone, Princesse de Faucigny-Lucinge et Coligny (and great-granddaughter of the last king of France, Charles X), the watch was her wedding gift.