Excellent Swiss gold repeating automaton watch Circa 1815

Gold cylinder automaton made for the Chinese market
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An excellent Swiss 18K yellow gold and enamel open faced quarter repeating cylinder pocket watch with automaton made for the Chinese market, circa 1815. The Temple by Scherer & Fils. White enamel dial with Breguet hours, outer minute track with Arabic quarter hour numerals, gold Breguet hands. The case back is decorated with a very finely painted on enamel scene of an Asian river landscape, the foreground with applied multicoloured gold Chinese figures appearing to strike two bells above and on the side of a gold temple housing, two potted plants, a scroll, a pair of doves on a balustrade to the side, the base depicting a dog worrying a bird beneath an aperture under the temple revealing the balance wheel.
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Frosted gilt movement, crescent shaped back plate with two bells for repeating the quarter hours sunk into the movement, flared cylindrical pillars, going barrel under the bells, cylinder escapement, three arm balance, pierced, chased and engraved balance cock, flat blued steel balance spring, index regulator in the bezel. The bells scratch signed by the watchmaker, movement scratch numbered.
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Diameter: 56 mm
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Signed: Scherer & Fils Geneva
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The movement of the present watch is a rare type where the two stacked bells are sunk into the movement. Most of the few watches known to exist fitted with similar movements carry the signature of the Genevan watchmakers Chevalier & Cochet. However, other examples have been discovered variously signed by Pepin, Genève; Moricand, Genève; Bordier & Cie, Genève and now the present piece by Scherer & Fils. It was not known which maker actually invented this type of movement until the discovery of the scratched signature Inventé par Antoine Rojard on the movement of the watch by Bordier & Cie. The movement of this watch is a variation of this documentary piece indicating that it was likely to have been made in the workshops of Rojard for Scherer.