Mid 17th century Swiss gold and enamel verge

A small, mid 17th century Swiss single handed, pre balance spring verge watch, with polychrome dial and wonderful gold and enamel case.

MOVEMENT : A fine gilt verge pre balance spring movement, with a beautifully engraved and pierced balance cock. Small steel balance wheel, with two spokes. Mainspring set up is by a steel worm screw on the top plate, with silver regulator disc. The four pillars are in the form of rampant lions.

The single hand is driven from the fusee wheel.   Signed “Abraham Cailliatte”.

There are scratches to the top plate, and the two blued steel brackets to the mainspring set up are missing the ornamental scrolls.
Otherwise complete and running (though runs fast and occasionally stops).

DIAL : A wonderful polychrome enamel dial, showing a man in a lakeside scene. A bold chapter ring, typical of the period and single gold hand.

The dial is in very good condition with just a coupe of hairlines (one across the chapter ring at 12 and another across the edge at 7.

CASE : Gold and enamel case. Beautifully engraved gold bezel, enamel scene to the back and portrait to the inside of the back. Green enamel to the band.

The scene on the back illustrates the story of Danaë and the Shower of Gold (Ovid’s Metamorphoses). This is within a polychrome flower garland and beautifully painted black and white scrolled border.  The interior portrait shows a lady dressed as a goddess within a scrollwork frame.

The case is in good condition, though the green enamel around the band has been restored.

The closing latch on the case (at 6) is missing though the other part of the latch on the bezel is ok.

The hinge, gold bow and stem, and high dome crystal are fine.

This watch is rare in that it remains without a balance spring, and has never been converted.

Abraham Cailliatte (Reference : Antiquorum, Geneva).

Abraham Cailliatte, born in 1642, was the son of Matthieu Cailliatte (1587-1661), who became Citizen of Geneva in 1612, and of Louise Penet (1606-1649). Matthieu Cailliatte was in charge of the fortification works of the city since 1636.
Abraham apprenticed as a watchmaker to Isaac Penard (1619-1676) in 1655.
He married on June 22, 1664, Anne Patron (1646-1706); the couple had 14 children, seven of whom reached adulthood.
As master watchmaker, he made simple watches and watches with astronomical and astrological complications, some with enamelled cases. He signed an apprenticeship contract with Jean Gentil in 1672.

He frequently worked with Pierre I Huaud (1612-1680), a Huguenot emigrant from Châtellerault, near Blois, where he was an apprentice goldsmith. The latter, also an enamel painter, introduced this art to Geneva.
There are several examples of their collaboration or that of his sons, Pierre II Huaud (1647-1698), Jean-Pierre Huaud (1655-1723) and Ami Huaud (1657-1724).
This case is probably by Jean-Pierre Huaud, known as the younger Huaud (1655–1723).

Abraham Cailliatte lived all his life in the district of Saint-Gervais, on the right bank of the Rhône, and died at the age of 70.

A very similar watch by Cailliatte exists in the Met. Museum in New York. Both the movement, and the enamel portrait on the inside of the case are very like this watch.