Swiss 18 carat gold and enamel pocket watch case Circa 1820

Gold cloisonné enamelled pocket watch case
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A gold and enamel pocket watch case of outstanding quality made by Courvoisier & Co in Switzerland, circa 1820. The signed and numbered full hunter case is crafted from 18 carat gold and elaborately polychrome enamelled on both sides using the cloisonné technique.
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Diameter: 45.5 mm
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Weight: 35.5 g
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Signed: Courvoisier & Co
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Robert & Courvoisier were clock and watchmakers from La Chaux-de-Fonds, Switzerland. The firm was founded in 1795 as a successor to J. Robert & Fils, Courvoisier. In 1770, the firm was originally established by Josué Robert (1691–1771). After Robert’s death, a year after the company was founded, the firm was renamed Josué Robert & Fils and was led by his son Louis Benjamin Robert (1732–1781). They mainly produced large clockworks, but as Benjamin’s son-in-law, Louis Courvoisier became a companion, pocket watches were put into production. When Louis Benjamin died, Louis Courvoisier became the manager of the firm. From 1787 to 1795, the firm was called J. Robert & Fils, Courvoisier. From 1795 to 1805, it was renamed Robert & Courvoisier. Since 1805, the firm’s name was Robert, Courvoisier & Cie with Philip Grandjean as a business partner. In 1852, it became Courvoisier Frères. The firm continued under the direction of various members of the Courvoisier family until the 1930s. Along with the Jaquet-Droz firm, they were the most important makers of musical clocks and around the turn of the 18th and 19th centuries, their portable officers’ watches were famous.
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Cloisonné is an ancient technique for decorating metalwork objects with coloured material held in place or separated by metal strips or wire, normally of gold. In recent centuries, vitreous enamel has been used, but inlays of cut gemstones, glass and other materials were also used during older periods, indeed, cloisonné enamel very probably began as an easier imitation of cloisonné work using gems. The resulting objects can also be called cloisonné.