French silver watch with Jacquemart figure automaton Circa 1800

Silver quarter repeating open faced verge
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An exceptional French silver and varicoloured gold quarter repeating keywinding pocket watch, made by Charles Oudin in Paris, circa 1800. Quarter repeater on two steel gongs, activated by depressing the pendant with two striking Jacks; Les Bons Sauvages. Small silver dial in the center with Roman numerals. The chiselled varicoloured gold and painting scene shows two Jacquemarts, striking the elapsed time, the man on the right strikes the hours and the second shot of the quarters while the woman, on the left, strikes the first shot of the quarters; all animated by the repeating mechanism. A gilded brass movement, fusee and chain, verge escapement, gilded brass monometallic balance and blued steel flat hairspring, pierced and engraved gilded continental cock. Signature onthe cuvette and movement.
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Diameter: 57 mm
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Signed: Charles Oudin  Paris
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Charles Oudin, a talented and innovative watch and clockmaker, was a student of Abraham-Louis Breguet. Oudin excelled in creating watches with the Equation of Time feature and developed a version of this complication that could be integrated into Breguet’s souscription watches. By 1805, he had established his workshop at the Palais Royal, Galerie de Pierre. In 1819, one of Oudin’s Equation of Time watches was showcased at the Paris Exhibition.