Swiss gold duplex watch made for the Chinese market Circa 1835

Gold duplex watch with centre seconds
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A very fine and extremely rare Swiss 18K gold and enamel open faced centre seconds duplex pocket watch made for the Chinese market, circa 1835. Summer Bouquet by Bovet. Both bezels, pendant and bow are decorated with pink, red, blue and green champlevé enamel, the case back is painted with a fine composition of summer flowers on a pale lilac ground. Hinged gold cuvette with engraved foliate decoration.
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White enamel dial with radial Roman numerals, outer minute divisions, Arabic quarter-hour numerals and blued steel spade hands. Damascened polished blued steel and gold movement with foliate decoration, Chinese calibre with mirror polished wheel train and bridges, standing barrel, jewelled single wheel duplex escapement, three-arm balance with wedge-shaped blued steel weights, flat balance spring and an index regulator. Movement signed.
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Diameter: 58 mm
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Signed: Bovet Fleurier
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The former property of an Oriental Gentleman.
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Bovet was a watchmaking dynasty founded by Edouard, Frédéric, Alphonse, Gustave, Charles-Henri and Caroline Bovet of Fleurier. In 1822, a Bovet partnership was founded for the Chinese watch trade in Canton. In 1840, Bovet Frères et Cie was established in Fleurier, and in 1864, the Bovet watch production was sold to Bovet’s manufacturing inspectors in Fleurier, Jules Jéquier and Ernest Bobillier, soon joined by Ami Leuba. In 1888, Bovet Frères was founded under the direction of Alexis Landry, who served his apprenticeship in Fritz Bovet’s workshop in Fleurier, producing ebauches for Chinese watches and silver cases. Alexis Landry formed a partnership with Albert and Jean Bovet, specializing in complicated watches and chronographs. In 1901, the Bovet trademark was acquired by César and Charles Leuba, sons of Ami Leuba.
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In 1918, Jacques Ullmann & Co, La Chaux-de-Fonds, bought the Bovet brand from the Leuba Brothers, and in 1948, Favre-Leuba took over the company and acquired the first production plant. In 1966 Favre-Leuba sold the Fleurier plant, and in 1989 Parmigiani acquired the Bovet name. A limited company registered as Bovet Fleurier S.A. was formed in 1990, using the Bovet trademark. In 1994, Roger Guye and a partner bought Bovet Fleurier S.A. and opened a branch in Geneva. Pascal Raffy became the majority shareholder and President in 2001. Today, Bovet timepieces are widely available in the world’s major destinations. Eager to maintain its historical roots in the Far East, the company has subsidiaries in Hong Kong and Japan and delivers its collection to select distributors in Singapore, Taiwan, the Middle East, Turkey, Russia, the United States, London and Geneva.