Rare early German astronomical verge pocket watch Circa 1760

Gold astronomical verge watch with eight displays by JJ Hentschel
–
A fine German gold single-cased verge watch with a manual astronomical calendar and indications for the length of day & night and signs of the zodiac, circa 1760. This watch features a gilded full plate movement with a verge escapement, intricately pierced and engraved balance bridge, square baluster pillars, fusee and chain, and is signed Hentschel à Strasbourg. The dial is white enamel with Roman numerals, an outer Arabic minute ring, an aperture for winding, and gold filigree hands. The gold case has a back with a central rotating disc marked, within a shell-form motif, with the days of the week, each indicating to a silver date disc beneath. It also includes an outer rotating ring with four apertures indicating months and their length, together with corresponding signs of the zodiac and indications for the lengths of day and night. The bezels are engraved with floral bouquets separated by a scrolling ribbon-form motif, and the inside back features the case maker’s mark AIG and the French gold mark.
–
Diameter: 44 mm
–
Weight: 75 g
–
Signed: Hentschel à Strasbourg
–
The movement is functioning properly. There are some minor chips around the winding aperture and a few hairline cracks around the edge of the dial. The case shows some light rubbing, but the indicators remain clear.
–
Johann-Jacob Hentschel, a German watchmaker, was born in Darmstadt. He resided in Basel in 1745 and later moved to Strasbourg in Alsace around 1759, where he stayed until approximately 1785. In Strasbourg, he married Maria Magdalena Heus.