Swiss gold Jacot duplex watch for the Chinese market Circa 1870

Gold duplex with centre seconds
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An impressive Swiss yellow 18 carat gold and painted-on enamel centre second pocket watch, circa 1870. Made for the Chinese market. The bezels, pendant and bow are decorated with turquoise, red, blue and green champlevé enamel and gold flowers and leaves. The back panel is painted with a fine composition of flowers on a turquoise ground. Hinged gold-rimmed glazed cuvette. White enamel dial with radial narrow Roman numerals, outer minutes/seconds divisions, Arabic quarter hour numerals and blued steel spade hands. Mirror polished, Chinese calibre movement with mirror polished wheel train and bridges, standing barrel, jewelled to the centre, Jacot duplex escapement, three-arm bimetallic compensation balance with wedge-shaped brass weights, flat balance spring, blue steel index regulator. Movement signed.
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Diameter: 63 mm
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Signed: Bovet  Fleurier
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Flowers have great symbolic importance for the Chinese. By their form, aspect and fragrance, they are considered to be highly spiritual, reflecting the profound nature of the Chinese people. Poems and proverbs show the cultural importance of flowers: ‘There is no flower without beauty in the world’, ‘A flower gives us a glimpse of paradise’. Certain flowers have a particular significance. The lotus symbolizes purity, the chrysanthemum perseverance, the plum blossom integrity, etc. The peony, with its generous forms, brilliant colours and heady fragrance, became the most important flower for the Chinese. It is considered to symbolize wealth, nobility, power and happiness. Known as the ‘queen of flowers, the peony symbolizes wealth and distinction. Paintings of flowers are often hung in Chinese homes for good luck and in offices to bring success in business. The deep and rich symbolism the Chinese attached to flowers made them an ideal subject for expensive watches and those destined for exalted patrons, even for the Emperor himself. The symbolism of each flower would have been immediately recognized and appreciated by China’s elite, who would have seen in them a flattering reference to their own wealth and power.