Swiss 18K gold open faced repeating lever watch Circa 1875

Gold minute repeater by Ekegrén
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A Swiss 18 carat gold open faced minute repeating lever pocket watch, circa 1875. Bridge movement, lever escapement, two hammers, two gongs, screw compensation balance. White enamel dial with Roman hours, Arabic five minute numerals and sunk subsidiary seconds. Plain case, a monogram on the back.
Cuvette signed and numbered, case and movement numbered.
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Diameter: 50 mm
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Weight: 109 g
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Signed: H.R. Ekegrén Geneva
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Henry Robert Ekegrén was born in 1823 in Denmark and died in 1869. He completed his apprenticeship in the shop of Urban Jürgensen & Sonnen, Copenhagen. Henry Robert worked a season for Jules Jürgensen in Le Locle, then went on to work in London and Paris. In 1847 he worked for a year for Henri Golay in Geneva, then for ten years for its successor company Golay-Leresche. Ekegrén also worked for Winnerl and Adolph Lange before establishing his own company with Ferdinand Westermann in Geneva. The Geneva Observatory always gave H.R. Ekegrén a high rating for its pocket chronometers, as did other contests. He was one of the most awarded Swiss watchmakers. The Journal Suisse d’Horlogerie noted not only that Ekegrèn was a first rate timer, but also that he allowed no one else to direct his business and that he was always seeking to elevate the level of the chronometric art.