Provenance: family of the Duchess of Neumours. This watch is engraved with the coat-of-arms of the Duc de Chartres, who was to become King of France under the name of Louis Philippe I. It must have been purchased during his exile in England from 1801 to 1807. It was sold by Rundell and Bridge who were goldsmiths of the King of England. Although signed by these eminent retailers, its high quality and technical features such as ruby duplex escapement and compensation curb, strongly suggest that te movement was made by Vulliamy, then watchmaker to the King.The VulliamysThree successive members of this family were active from 1730 to 1854 and although they are best known for their unsurpassed regulator clocks, they also made some excellent watches.Of Swiss origin, Justin Vulliamy emigrated from Switzerland and settled in London early in the 18th century. He became associated with Benjamin Gray of Pall Mall, whose daughter he married and with whom he was in partnership from 1730 to 1775. Justin Vulliamy carried on the business after Gray's death. Benjamin Gray was appointed as clockmaker to George II, and the Vulliamy family held the office of clockmaker to the reigning sovereign until the death of Benjamin Lewis Vulliamy in 1854.Justin's son Benjamin Lewis Vulliamy was much favored and consulted by George III on mechanical subjects, especially in connection with Kew Observatory, which was one of the King's hobbies. Born in 1780, Benjamin Lewis Vulliamy, of 68 Pall Mall, was noted for the exactness and excellent finish of his work, in both clocks and watches. He took an active interest in the Clockmakers' Company, of which he was five times Master between 1821 and 1848. In 1849 the Court recognized his services to the Copany. He wrote several pamphlets on trade subjects. One of them, on the construction of the dead-beat escapement for clocks, advocated the turning of the pallets for ensuring greater exactness.He was the only maker in England producing clocks with pieces of sculpture, in bronze or marble, some of them by famous artists such as J. Bacon.The most characteristic Vulliamy watches have a duplex escapement and the whole top plate covered with a decorative pierced fret. These watches were made with little or no variation over a surprisingly long period, from before 1800 until well after 1820. Benjamin Lewis Vulliamy died in January 1854.King Louis Philippe I (1773-1850)Was the son of Philippe-Joseph d'Orléans, Duke of Orléans, (1747-1793), who called himself Philippe-Egalité, and of Louise-Marie de Bourbon-Penthièvre. He became Duke of Chartres in 1785, receiving the title of Duke of Orléans after his father's execution in 1793. He was favorable to the Revolution, calling himself "Citoyen Chartres" and taking part in the battles of Valmy and Jemmapes. Returning to France after the Restoration, he played a role in the liberal opposition to kings Louis XVIII andCharles X. Made "King of the French" in 1830 - also called the "Citizen King"- he attempted the difficult task of steering a political course amid the treacherous and volatile climate of the years between 1830 and 1840. From 1832 to 1837, Louis-Philippe's Minister of Public Instruction was François Guizot. After 1840, Guizot grew even more powerful, and he became premier in 1847. However, growing public discontent led to the 1848 Revolution which deposed his government and forced the abdicationf Louis Philippe in favor of his grandson the Count of Paris, on February 24, 1848.The House of Orleans included the duchy-peerage of Nemours; this watch belonged at one time to the Duchess of Nemours.