Swiss gold and enamel pair cased pocket watch Circa 1780

Gold open faced key winding verge watch
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A fine Swiss gold open faced pair cased pocket watch made by Abraham Colomby in Geneva, circa 1780. It has a mechanical key winding full plate movement with a verge fusee escapement, a pierced and intricately engraved balance cock, and a silver regulation disc signed Abraham Colomby. The white enamel dial features bold black Roman numerals for the hours and an outer minute track with Arabic five minute indicators from 5 to 60. It is signed Abraham Colomby. The crystal glass and hands are missing. The timepiece is housed in a gold double case structure comprising a smooth, polished inner case and a magnificent outer case. The outer case reverse back cover is decorated with a painted polychrome enamel portrait miniature depicting a woman in a yellow hat, surrounded by detailed applications and borders set with rhinestones. It is paired with a sturdy round suspension bow and a cylindrical winding stem.
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Diameter: 38 mm
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Weight: 53 g
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Signed: Abraham Colomby
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Abraham Colomby was a highly distinguished eighteenth century Swiss master watchmaker and merchant based in Geneva. Born on January 12 1702, into a prominent horological lineage, his father and grandfather were established watchmakers, while his mother belonged to the renowned Mussard family of master goldsmiths. This artistic background explains the exceptional jewelry grade artistry and fine metalwork found on his outer watch cases. While deeply rooted in the Swiss watchmaking tradition, Colomby also spent a significant portion of his career working and trading in London. This British exposure influenced his manufacturing style, prompting him to combine high quality Swiss mechanical movements and fine miniature enamel painting with traditional English style pair cased structures. Today, his timepieces are celebrated globally for their lavish decorations. Surviving museum quality examples typically feature intricate fire gilded movements with verge fusee escapements housed in gold cases adorned with exquisite enamel portrait miniatures and meticulously set borders of diamonds or paste rhinestones.