Swiss quarter repeating automaton pocket watch Circa 1810-1820

Repeating pocket watch with five automaton actions
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An unsigned, key-winding, Geneva multicoloured gold pocket watch with quarter-repeater, two striking jacks, and an automaton scene, attributable to Les Freres Esquivillon & Dechoudens, circa 1810-1820. Round-shaped 18-carat yellow gold case. White enamel dial in an outer chapter ring with Breguet hands. Gilded brass movement with fusee and chain, verge escapement, monometallic balance (gilded brass), blued steel flat hairspring, and pierced and engraved gilded continental cock. This watch has one horological complication and automaton scene: a quarter-repeater on two steel gongs (activated by depressing the pendant), leading the two striking Jacks and the animated scene with three functions. The chiselled varicoloured gold scene shows two Jacquemarts (Jacks) cherubs, striking the elapsed time. Below is an automaton scene with two black-smiths working at their forge, animated by the repeating mechanism.
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Diameter: 55 mm
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Signed: No name
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Le Rémouleur or The Knife Grinder and The Forge
By the fact that few of them are signed, we can attribute to the Genevan workshop of Les Frères Esquivillon & DeChoudens (or Deschoudens) a series of watches with quarter repeater and six functions, including two striking jacks and a four automata scene; watches so-called “Le Rémouleur” or “The Knife Grinder”; see: Antiquorum, Hong Kong, October 27, 2018, lot 402 (with a list of available watches). The present watch, “The Forge”, is a variant of the previous model with only five automaton actions. Only one other watch of this last type is today recorded (Genevan case No. 25 197)
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Les Frères Esquivillon & DeChoudens,
Geneva Master watchmakers were active in the last quarter of the 18th century and the early 19th century. In 1774, Gédéon-François Esquivillon became associated with his brother, Joseph Esquivillon, and Jaques DeChoudens (or Deschoudens). They have sometimes signed « Es. et Dech.”.