Swiss gold, enamel and pearl set lady’s cylinder watch Circa 1845

Gold open faced cylinder watch by Henri Capt
–
A Swiss gold, enamel and pearl set open faced lady’s cylinder watch, circa 1845. This watch features a gilded bar movement, signed H. Capt, Genève, with a cylinder escapement and a plain three arm balance. The white enamel dial also signed H. Capt, Genève, displaying Roman numerals, an outer minute ring, and moon hands. The gold case has a back chased and engraved with flowers and foliage highlighted in blue enamel against a stippled ground, while the top showcases a blue enamel bordered roundel centred by a white fleur de lys beneath a stylised coronet. At the base is a polychrome enamel painted scene of a castle by the sea, with a sailing ship in the mid distance within a horizontal mandorla shaped blue enamel frame. Both front and back are adorned with pearl set bezels, a pearl set pendant and bow, and a plain polished gold cuvette featuring apertures for winding and handsetting.
–
Diameter: 33 mm
–
Signed: H. Capt Genève
–
The movement runs for short periods. The winding and hands are setting smoothly. The dial has some light scratches, and the dial plate itself is slightly loose. The hour hand is a little bent towards the arbor and slightly misaligned with the hour. The case, featuring a painted enamel scene, appears in good condition. There are some chips and losses to the blue enamel border beneath the pearl bezel of the case back; otherwise, the decorative scheme is generally in good condition. One of the blue enamel leaves has a minor chip on its edge, and a couple of pearls on the bezels are cracked, with three pearls missing from the bow/pendant.
–
Henri Daniel Capt was born on 7 June 1827 in Le Locle, the son of Jacques François Capt and Élise Charlotte Golay. He married the watchmaker Élise Henriette (Lise) Aubert on 4 May 1813 in Le Locle. From this marriage, their daughter Cécile Capt was born in 1867, who sadly only lived for six months. Henri Daniel Capt passed away on 13 May 1890 in Le Locle, at the age of 62.