Description: Gilt brass, front wound, verge fusee movement (38mm diameter). Square baluster pillars, quite big cock with big ears. Cock finely pierced and engraved with leaf design and three chimera heads. Very early garnet jeweling. Big silver regulator dial. White enamelled copper dial with Roman hour and Arabic minute numerals.
Additional Info:
This pieces was made just after the French regency period where watch movements would be decorated with silver.
This watch movement is unsigned but bears the dedication ‘A Louïs Bille’ on the back plate. Louïs Bille was secretary to King Louis XV and it is probable that the watch would have been a gift from the king. The watch movement is very finely made and would have been extremely expensive when bought. Of course the link to the King himself is purely speculative.
Nevertheless, dedication watches from this era are extremely rare, especially if of French manufacture.
Antiquarian Horology 
