Swiss gold watch with rare Debaufré escapement Circa 1830

Gentleman’s open faced pocket watch by Du Bois & Fils
–
An almost as new Swiss gentleman’s pocket watch with very rare Debaufré escapement, jumping centre seconds, regulator dial and mock pendulum, circa 1830.
18 Carat gold polished case. Signed enamel dial with Arabic numerals on an eccentric hour indication, centre seconds, aperture for the mock pendulum, and gold Breguet hands. Full plate movement, frosted, gilt, with Debaufré escapement and large five-arm ring balance.
–
Diameter: 57 mm
–
Weight: 120 g
–
Signed: Du Bois & Fils
–
Du Bois & Fils
In 1785 Philippe Du Bois and his sons founded the “Du Bois & Fils 1785” watch company at the family seat in Le Locle. Du Bois had already established extensive business connections all over Europe and America as a cloth merchant, which made things much easier for the start-up watch company. During the 19th century, Du Bois & Fils opened branches in Germany, the Netherlands, Spain and the United States and business boomed. Due to its proximity to the trade fairs, the German Frankfurt branch was particularly important.
–
The Debaufré Escapement,
Invented by P. Debaufré in 1704, this escapement is distinguished by having two escape wheels that are mounted on the same arbour. The escape wheels are staggered. They interact with a semi-circular, wedge-shaped pallet on the balance staff which has chamfered edges. The wheels, which alternately rest on the flat underside or escape past it, impart the impulse to the balance.
–
Mock pendulum
A small non-functional bob or disc of metal attached to a clock’s pallets or watch has a verge escapement, which is seen through a slit in the dial (also called false bob).