Swiss miniature watch with corresponding watch chain Circa 1890

Gold and enamel cylinder fob watch by Marcelin Grisel
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A Swiss 18K pink gold and enamel miniature fob watch with a corresponding chain, circa 1890.
Rhodium-plated bridge movement, Geneva Striping decoration, cylinder escapement, ring balance. Both bezels have a geometric engraved pattern, a fine opaque polychrome enamel painting on the back lid depicting a pastoral scene, a gold dome and a case maker’s mark MG. White enamel dial with Roman radial hours, Arabic minutes and Louis XVI hands. Comes with a matching gold and enamel watch chain.
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Diameter: 22 mm
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Weight: 12 g
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Signed: Marcelin Grisel
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The miniature pendant watch shown with a corresponding gold and enamel watch chain is only 22 mm in diameter. The work is slightly larger than a euro cent.
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Marcelin Grisel was based in Cormondrèche, Switzerland. He was born in 1830 and was the brother of the watchmaker André Marcel. At the National Exhibition of Watches in 1881, he was awarded a First Class medal in Silver. He founded the company Marcelin Grisel, later renamed Marcelin Grisel & Fils. On October 29th, 1934, the company was still listed at La Fédération Horlogère. Marcelin Grisel died on May 6, 1923 in Cormondrèche. According to the Liechtensteiner Zeitung, he was the last surviving fighter of the Neuchâtel Republicans from the revolution in 1848. After Neuchâtel was admitted to the Confederation as a canton, the Prussian king only retained sovereign rights as personal property. This double position of Neuchâtel was not sustainable in the long run. As early as September and December 1831, Neuchâtel republicans and democrats attempted to overthrow the ancient régime of the royalists, which had been restored after the Congress of Vienna. However, the uprising was put down, and governor Ernst von Pfuel initially managed to maintain the old order. March 1st In 1848, the people of Neuchâtel, led by republicans from Le Locle and La Chaux-de-Fonds, rebelled against the Prussian monarch. Around 1400, armed mountain people marched from La Chaux-de-Fonds over the Vue des Alpes to Valangin and took the castle there. On the evening of the same day, to the people’s cheering, they took the castle in the city of Neuchâtel, where the government under Ernst von Pfuel abdicated in all forms and handed over the official business to a new provisional government.