Swiss 18 carat gold full hunter cased repeater Circa 1873

Historically interesting  five minute repeater
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An historically interesting gold hunter case watch with five minute repeater, made for Henri Duphot by Patek, Philippe & Co in Genève, Switzerland, circa 1873. The very beautiful, extremely solid quality à goutte (waterdrop shaped) case of this watch was crafted from 18 carat gold and features a coined band, engine turned decoration on both sides and a monogram “HD” (Henri Duphot) on the spring lid. The white enamel dial features an outer minute track, Roman hour numerals, a subsidiary seconds dial at 6 o’clock and blued steel hands. The numbered movement is fitted with a very fine gilt precision lever escapement and wolf’s toothing.
The case and movement have matching numbers, the numbered cuvette is signed and inscribed Henri Duphot 1875.
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Diameter: 52 mm
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Weight: 138 g
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Signed: Patek, Philippe & Co Genève
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Henri Duphot, born on 1 August 1810 in Bordeaux and died on 23 November 1889 in the same town, was a well known French architect. He was appointed architect to the city of Bordeaux in 1849. In 1838, he married his cousin, Élisabeth Cécile Marrault (1813-1874), the granddaughter of the wealthy merchant and Hamburg consul Daniel-Christophe Meyer. This enabled him to build up relationships and a client network among the local bourgeoisie, which brought him private commissions. In these private building projects, his architectural style was characterised by a certain eclecticism with Anglo Saxon influences, which was appreciated by his clients.