A rare and elegant mid-18th-century shagreen casket, gold-mounted and fitted with a watch made specifically for the Chinese market. The watch incorporates a full-plate fire-gilt movement with square baluster pillars, a beautifully pierced and engraved masked cock set with a garnet endstone in a blued steel setting, and an intricately pierced and engraved foot and plate supporting the silver regulator disc. The movement is driven by a fusee and chain, with a worm-and-wheel barrel setup positioned between the plates. It features a plain three-arm steel balance paired with a blued steel spiral hairspring.

The white enamel dial bears both Roman and Arabic numerals and is complemented by finely shaped blued steel beetle-and-poker hands. The movement is housed in a 22-carat gold inner dome marked with London hallmarks, designed with a winding aperture accessible from within the casket. A hinged silver bezel, set with a continuous row of square-cut rubies, frames the dial.

The rectangular box, topped by a domed lid, is clad in polished green shagreen on every surface except the base. Gilt-metal frames reinforce the lid and base, each secured with a pair of stopped five-joint hinges. At the corners are pierced gold mounts, expertly chased and engraved with motifs reminiscent of Chinese architectural ornament. The interior is lined with silk woven with imperial Chinese dragon designs.