Swiss navette shaped ring watch with visible balance Circa 1850

Gold and enamel ring watch set with half pearls by Destain & Dupand
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A Swiss extraordinary 18 Carat rose gold, enamel and half pearl set navette shaped ring watch with visible balance, circa 1850. Comes with the original box.
A navette form case, the bezel is set with half pearls and an engraved ring bar. Eccentric white enamel dial with Arabic hours, the upper part with a polished disc framed by paste stones and with three curved arms illustrating a visible balance surrounded by a light and dark blue enamelled ground with gold flowers. Moulded movement with a virgule escapement.
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Dimensions: 18 x 31 x 8 mm
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Weight: 14 g
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Signed: No name
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Ring watches. Even as early as the 16th century watchmakers were fascinated by the idea of fitting a watch into a ring, however, only a few of them managed such a feat. This did not change during the 19th century, any successful attempt to create a watch of this kind brought immediate fame to its maker, especially if the watch found a prominent buyer. It was probably James Widman’s ring watch that was worn by the Duke of Mantua and Antoine Rojard’s fame based itself on Napoleon Bonaparte’s watch, even the young John Arnold was able to present an exquisite ring watch to King George III of England, this immediately made him a celebrated watchmaker.