Swiss gold pocket watch with jumping centre seconds Circa 1860

Hunting cased watch with Chinese duplex escapement
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An unusual, Swiss hunting cased pocket watch with jumping centre second and Chinese duplex escapement, circa 1860. Produced for a wealthy Chinese customer in America.
18-Carat gold, florally engraved case with an engraved gold dome. Enamel dial with radial Roman numerals, centre seconds, and flower hands. Fleurier bridge movement, keywind, nickel-plated, standing barrel, mono-metallic balance with screwed blued weights.
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Diameter: 58 mm
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Weight: 150 g
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Signed: P.A.G.I. San Francisco, CA / Fleurier, Chronometer
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Around 1850 San Francisco attracted great numbers of Chinese immigrants – a direct consequence of the gold rush at the time. An appreciable part of the Chinese population there consisted of wealthy businessmen – as this heavy gold watch is fitted with a calibre that was commonly used in watches in the workshops in Fleurier in Switzerland intended for the Chinese market, it is likely that the watch was produced for one of these entrepreneurs.