Swiss 18 carat gold lépine repeater watch Circa 1820

Excellently preserved watch with seconde morte
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An excellently preserved Breguet type lépine pocket watch with repeater, seconde morte and a chain, made by David Bouvier in Genève, Switzerland, circa 1820. This à goutte (waterdrop shaped) watch features an 18 carat gold case with an engine turned back lid, a case band incorporating a slide for the stop function of the jumping center seconds, a repeater button in the style of Breguet’s design and a numbered cuvette inscribed with some of the movement’s technical details. The silvered engine turned dial features an outer minute and our track with Roman numerals, gold hour and minute hands and a steel center seconds hand. The movement is equipped with two separate barrels for the escapement and the seconde morte, a special form ruby cylinder escapement, temperature compensation and a quarter repeater on square gongs.
The cuvette is signed.
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Diameter: 55 mm
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Weight: 123 g
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Signed: D. Bouvier à Genève
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Even though the watch was not made in Breguet’s workshops, it is of excellent quality with several features also found on Breguet’s watches. Several well known Geneva watchmakers were inspired by Breguet’s masterpieces and adopted many of his details for their watches.
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Bouvier
David Bouvier was a highly accomplished Swiss horologist and merchant who operated in Geneva during the late 18^th and early 19^th centuries. While known for his contributions to the family brand, Bouvier Frères, his individual career represents a bridge between traditional Genevan craftsmanship and the highly technical, luxury innovations of the early 19^th century.