Swiss gold independent jumping seconds repeater Circa 1880

Gold hunting cased five-minute repeater by Rossel & Fils
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A very fine and heavy Swiss 18 carat rose gold hunting cased five-minute repeating lever pocket watch with independent and stoppable jumping seconds, circa 1880. Bridge movement, lever escapement, two hammers, two gongs, two barrels, gold screw compensation balance. White enamel dial with Roman hours, Arabic five-minute numerals and sunk subsidiary seconds at 6 o’clock. Plain case with applied gold monograms on both sides. Case and movement numbered, cuvette signed and numbered, case and movement with matching numbers.
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Diameter: 52 mm
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Weight: 142 g
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Signed: Rossel & Fils Sucrs de I.F. Bautte & Cie Genève
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Jean-François Bautte (1772-1837) was the most distinguished watchmaker and retailer in Geneva of his time. Shortly after his death in 1837, Bautte’s son Jacques Bautte and son-in-law Jean-Samuel Rossel formed the company Jean-François Bautte & Cie, a retailer of timepieces and jewellery. From 1855 on the company traded as Rossel-Bautte & Cie, and from 1860 on as Rossel & Fils. In 1906 the company was taken over by Constant Girard-Gallet, the owner of Swiss watch manufacturer Girard-Perregaux in La Chaux-de-Fonds. The Girard-Perregaux Museum in La Chaux-de-Fonds owns several creations from the house of Bautte.