Swiss 18 carat gold and enamel verge pocket watch Circa 1810

Open faced pocket watch by Courvoisier Frères
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A Swiss splendour gold enamel verge pocket watch , circa 1810.
Case, bezels, pendant and bow of this timepiece are lavishly ornamented with granulated gold. Pink and white paste stones decorate the back and an octagonal enamel medallion showing a lady wearing a tiara and holding a parakeet. The lady’s high social status is epitomized by the fact that the bird is allowed to roam freely.
18 Carat gold case, enamel, paste stones, case maker punch mark “CL”. Two tone silvered dial, engine turned and engraved, applied two tone gold flower ornaments, Roman numerals. Full plate movement, chain fusee, three arm brass balance, key wind.
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Diameter: 46 mm
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Weight: 55 g
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Signed: Courvoisier Frères, La Chaux-de-Fonds
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Brothers Henri-Louis and Philippe Auguste Courvoisier traded from 1842 on under the name “Courvoisier Frères”. When more brothers joined the partnership in 1882, they changed the company name to “Courvoisier Fils”. Specialising in high quality watches, they were commissioned by the city of La Chaux-de-Fonds to create a watch for the Prussian King William IV; at the time this ultra flat watch was supposedly the thinnest in the world.