Swiss 18 Carat gold verge watch with minute repeater Circa 1800

Extremely rare watch with minute repeater
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An extremely rare heavy gold verge watch with minute repeater, made by Meuron & Company in Neuchatel, Switzerland, circa 1800. The open faced plain case of this watch was crafted from 18 Carat gold and has a florally decorated case band, tiny sound openings, a bell and a cuvette with a spring lid. The excellently preserved original white enamel dial, has Arabic hour numerals, the original gold hour hand and a replaced minute hand. The movement has a verge escapement and an extremely rare minute repeater on the bell.
Cuvette, dial and movement signed.
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Diameter: 56 mm
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Weight: 152 g
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Signed: Meuron & Comp.
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With circa 152 grams in 18 Carat gold, this watch is an impressive and extremely precious pocket watch. The version as a minute repeater on the bell is extremely rare. Meuron & Company was active in Neuchatel in the early 19^th century. The company had offices in La Chaux-de-Fonds, Paris and Geneva. It specialised in complicated striking pocket watches and musical watches!
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Meuron & Company
Meuron & Cie was a Swiss watchmaker and dealer active in Geneva, Neuchatel, La Chaux-de-Fonds and Paris around 1800. They produced chiming clocks, automatic skeleton clocks and pedometers. They supplied pedometer watches to Jaquet-Droz and their watches were usually gold with pearl and enamel decorations. The company suffered a major loss in 1794 when a fire destroyed a collection of valuable Breguet watches in La Chaux-de-Fonds. They also supplied pocket watches, clocks and travel clocks. Meuron & Cie was owned by three business partners: François Meuron, Jean-Jacques Thourneisen and Jacques-Louis Pourtalès. They had representatives in Belgium, including Overmann Frères, Charles-Frédéric Dubois in Brussels, JC Lambrechts & Sohn in Liège, watchmakers in Antwerp and Louis Marquis in Luxembourg.