Swiss gold enamel form watch in shield shape in original box Circa 1800

Pendant watch attributed to Antoine Moilliet & Cie
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A gold enamel pendant form watch in shield shape form with a polished steel miniature key in original box, attributed to Antoine Moilliet & Cie, in Genève, Switzerland, circa 1800. The open faced case of this watch is crafted from 18 Carat pink gold and has a slide on the back, winding and time setting underneath, its face is set with half Oriental pearls, has dark blue engine turned enamel and is in perfect condition. The watch has two small dials, one for the hours and minutes and a second one with a very rare early seconds indication both have blued steel hands. The movement has a cylinder escapement.
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Dimensions: 27 x 40 mm
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Signed: No name
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The shield form watch is one of the rarities among enamel form watches. This is a particularly beautiful example, set with Oriental pearls. The watch is also very interesting from a technical point of view, as it has a decentralized time display with an additional seconds display. Comparable watches are known from Antoine Moilliet & Cie, specialised in the production of fancy watches in Geneva from circa 1790 to circa 1810.
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Antoine Moilliet
Antoine Moilliet produced luxury watches in Geneva from about 1790. Moilliet was a prominent Swiss watchmaker and designer at the time. Geneva was an important center for the watch industry in the late 18^th century and Moilliet was one of the leading figures in this field in the city. He was known for producing high quality, refined watches that were highly regarded. He was the son of watchmaker Daniel Moilliet and Marie Baumgartner, was born in 1768 and died in Geneva on May 9, 1844. He was co owner of the company Antoine Moilliet & Cie.