Swiss gold independent dead centre seconds watch Circa 1820

Gold open faced virgule watch by Gaultier Père & Oltramare
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A very fine and rare Swiss 18 Carat yellow gold two train early independent dead centre seconds virgule pocket watch with a 60 minute and 12 hour register, circa 1820. Polished case, reeded band. Hinged gilt cuvette. White enamel dial, an eccentric meantime chapter to the right with Breguet hours and outer minute divisions, to the left, a radial Roman chapter with outer minute divisions for the register, dead-centre seconds with one second divisions and Arabic 15 second numerals, blued steel spade hands. Hinged gilt brass full plate movement, jewelled, cylindrical pillars, going barrels, virgule escapement, three arm brass balance, continental pierced and engraved cock, a pin at 5 o’clock for start/stop.
Dial, cuvette, and movement signed.
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Diameter: 57 mm
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Signed: Gaultier Père et Oltramare
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An independent dead second watch with the rarely utilized virgule escapement and 12 hour register is unusual. The present piece is probably one of the first two train independent dead seconds watches ever made.
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Independent dead-centre seconds. In 1776, in Geneva, Moise Pouzait invented the independent dead seconds mechanism in which the movement has two trains. One is conventional and the second has a sweep seconds hand that can be stopped without stopping the main train.
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Frères Oltramare. Originally from Genova, the family settled in Geneva in the 17th century. Branches of the family were engaged in the watchmaking trade by the second half of the 18th century. The watchmaker Pierre Oltramare (1753-1827) had apprenticed under the ‘maître horloger’ Jean Pattey of Passiery in 1768. The mark of F.O. is that of Louis-David-Benjamin and Jean Hughes. Both trained as ‘monteur de boites en or’, makers of gold watch cases. They worked together in an informal association and later entered a maker’s mark as the Frères Oltramare between 1810 and 1811. When Geneva was liberated from French occupation they re registered the same mark on November 4th, 1815, their workshop was at Rue de Coutance 82. The two brothers ended their partnership on March 31, 1826.