Unusual German agate-cameo verge pocket watch Circa 1650

Agate verge pendant watch by Wilhelm Peffenhauser
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A German agate-cameo pocket watch with a cover of enamelled gold set with gemstones, and wondrous atmospheric effects, circa 1650. Made by watchmaker: Wilhelm Peffenhauser (German, Augsburg, born 1618, master 1647, died before 1683), and cameo cut by P. Schweyger (active Augsburg, 1540–50).
Gilded brass and steel movement partly blued, verge escapement. Backplate signed: Wilhelm Peffenhauser / Aug. Engraved gold dial, silver chapter ring with Roman numerals for hours. Agate-cameo case with a cover of enamelled gold set with gemstones (rubies), and painting on the inside.
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Dimensions: 38 x 27 x 19 mm
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Signed: Wilhelm Peffenhauser / Aug
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Peffenhauser, or Pepfenhauser, appears in the records of the Stadtarchiv Augsburg as a case maker and watchmaker. Therefore, the clockmaker may have made the case at least in part, perhaps incorporating an earlier cameo.
Traditionally, the man in the cameo was believed to be a sixteenth-century member of the Fugger family of Augsburg, but that is not borne out by surviving Fugger portraits. The cameo may instead be part of the “Dürer revival” of the early seventeenth century.
The Italian Renaissance wholeheartedly embraced classical antiquity throughout the fifteenth and sixteenth centuries. The emulation of ancient cameos played a large part. Carvers invested ancient myths with increasingly refined compositions and techniques, paying close attention to the latest archaeological discoveries. Demand for Italian carvers took them to all the courts of Europe. Milan, in particular, developed a taste for cameos.
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Cameo-agate is an agate gemstone with a layered structure with different colours. It is often used for carving into cameos, small relief sculptures featuring a raised image against a contrasting background. The layers in cameo agate can create a beautiful and intricate effect when cut into a cameo.
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Parts missing.