Very fine gold and enamel French pearl set pocket watch Circa 1790

Gold and enamel pocket watch with date
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A very fine and rare gold and enamel pearl set French enamel pocket watch with date. Made by Jean-Pierre Gregson Circa 1790. Two body, bassine, Empire case with enamel painted back and bezels set with half pearls. White enamel dial with Arabic numerals, outer minute divisions with 15 minute Arabic numerals and concentric day of the month indication. Gold fancy hands. Hinged movement with gilt brass full plate with cylindrical pillars, fusee with chain, verge escapement, plain three arm brass balance with blued steel flat spring and a continental two footed cock pierced and engraved. Signed and numbered on movement and number repeated on the case.
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Diameter: 49 mm
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Signed: Gregson
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Jean-Pierre Gregson was originally from England. In 1776 he became a royal watchmaker in Paris. His important position is also reflected in the fact that in 1786 he was appointed to a commission to set up a royal manufactory. The other members were France’s most famous watchmakers Breguet, Berthoud and Lepaute. As one of the first watchmakers of his time, he used Lépine’s bridge calibre early on. After the outbreak of the French Revolution, being a clockmaker to the royal court was not exactly business friendly and Gregson hurriedly resigned from his title. While he still signed his repeater watch no. 2181 as “Horloger du Roi”, he was only “Horloger à Paris” for watch number 2276. In 1790 he returned to his safe home in London. In London he established a new workshop, now simply called “Gregson London”. There he continued to build clocks in the French style, he retained the numbering system here as well.