A fine Swiss Louis XVI grande-sonnerie striking Pendule d'Officier with pull trip-repeat and alarm Robert & Courvoisier, La Chaux-de-Fonds, late 18th century The circular four pillar movement with chain fusee and verge escapement regulated by sprung three-arm monometallic balance with rack-and-pinion regulation to the going train, the hour and quarter striking trains driven by a single spring barrel striking the full hour on a bell followed by ting-tang notation for the quarters on a second smaller bell every quarter hour, the alarm with standing barrel wound via a line and pulley and sounding on the smaller bell, the backplate fitted with six-spoke balance bridge, adjacent regulation dial and full visible quarter and hour strikework, the 4.25 inch circular convex white enamel dial with vertical Arabic numerals and signed Robert & Courvoisier to centre, with fine lattice and scroll pierced and engraved minute and hour hands, steel alarm setting hand and Arabic quarter hours within the outer minute track set behind hinged milled convex glazed cast gilt brass bezel, the case with hinged handle formed as a looped snake consuming its own tail over concave-sided hipped superstructure applied with laurel wreath and oak leaf cast mounts to front and back and engraved with panels of fruiting plants over stepped shoulders to sides, the front with acanthus cast infill to lower quadrants and the sides with fluted banner panels over generous laurel rosettes, the rear matching the front but centred with a lattice pieced sound fret, on four turned feet, 19cm (17.5ins) high excluding handle. The partnership between Louis Courvoisier (1758-1832) and his father-in-law Captain Louis-Benjamin Robert (1732-1781) was established in 1781. In 1787 Robert died leaving his share of the business in control of his widow, Charlotte. This arrangement continued until 1811 when Louis Courvoisier took his son, Frederic Alexander took in his son to form 'Courvoisier et Cie'.The current lot is a fine textbook example of an early design of pendule portative termed 'Pendule d'Officier'. Although this form of portable timepiece originated during the 1780's they apparently became popular during the period of the Napoleonic wars, particularly amongst the officer class, hence the term 'Pendule d'Officier'. The firm of Robert and Courvoisier were the leading makers of this type of portable timepiece during this period.