Rare Swiss 18K gold hunting cased chronometer Circa 1907

Gold precision watch by Zenith
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A rare Swiss 18 carat gold hunting cased precision pocket watch, circa 1907. ½ Plate movement, spring detent escapement, gold escape wheel, Patent October 18, 1904 No. 30751, Swiss Patent 24677, gold screw compensation balance, free sprung blued balance spring, patented fine adjusting device. White enamel dial with Roman hours, outer minute divisions and sunk subsidiary seconds at 6 o’clock. Plain case.
Dial, cuvette and movement signed, case numbered. Comes with an Extract from the Archives and detailed documentary by Zenith.
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Diameter: 51 mm
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Weight: 113 g
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Signed: Zenith – Van Arcken & Co Horloger de la Cour Batavia & Soerabaya
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Charles Rosat, Georges Favre Jacot & Cie/Zenith. Patent No. 30751 from January 31st, 1905 ‘Mécanisme de remontage et de mise à l’heure’ (winding and timing mechanism) according to Georges Favre Jacot & Cie and patent No. 24677 from January 31st, 1903 ‘Dispositif régulateur pour raquette montée sur un porte-spiral pouvaut tourner autour de l’axe du balancier’ (balance spring regulator) according to Charles Rosat. According to Zenith only a few watches were built and sold with this kind of regulation system and chronometer escapement.
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Zenith SA is a Swiss luxury watchmaker. The company was founded in 1865 by Georges Favre-Jacot in Le Locle in the canton of Neuchâtel and is one of the oldest continuously operating watchmakers. Favre-Jacot invented the concept of ‘in-house’ movements, believing that only through control of the entire watchmaking process, perfection could be achieved. Zenith was purchased by LVMH (Moët Hennessy Louis Vuitton) in November 1999, becoming one of several brands in its watch and jewellery division which includes TAG Heuer and Hublot.
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Firma Van Arcken & Co was a jewellery company/goldsmith in the Dutch East Indies between 1861-1958. This jewellery company/goldsmith was one of the largest in the Dutch East Indies, now Indonesia. In its heyday, the company, located in the capital Batavia, had no less than 120 employees.
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Charles Rosat was born in Le Locle on May 26th, 1874, as the son of watchmaker William-Charles-Frédéric Rosat and Louise Egger. Charles married Rôse-Lucy Bôle and they had five children. He was a Swiss watchmaker and inventor. Around 1896 he was already involved in the ‘Association Ouvrière’ in Le Locle, a collaboration between various watchmakers at the time. He won several first prizes in chronometer competitions. In 1900 he was located at 39 Rue du Progrès in Le Locle. On November 3rd, 1900, he received a patent No. CH21639A for ‘Coq avec piton porte-spiraal mobile’ and patent No. 24677 on January 31st, 1903, for ‘Dispositif régulateur pour raquette montée sur un porte-spiral pouvaut tourner autour de l’axe du balancier’. Soon after, this mechanism was used in watches made by Georges Favre-Jacot & Cie, Edward Glauser, H. Moser & Cie and Caesar Racine. In 1901 he was mentioned in the Swiss Government Gazette of Commerce as head of the house Chs. Rosat. Type of company, manufacture and trade of timepieces. On May 8th, 1913, there was a change in the commercial register: the house of Charles Rosat, Le Locle, moved its headquarters to Boudry and for that reason, the successor of the ‘Association Ouvrière’ in Locle added the manufacture and sale of clocks and watches. He also became the workshop manager of the Zenith branch in Boudry.