Swiss gold hunting cased minute repeating lever watch Circa 1870

Gold repeating full hunter
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A very rare Swiss 18 carat gold hunting cased minute repeating lever pocket watch, circa 1870. Bridge movement, two hammers, two gongs, screw compensation balance. Engine-turned, translucent red enamelled dial with Roman hours, minute markers, eccentric subsidiary seconds and applied gold ornaments. Engine turned case with a monogrammed cartouche, a crown above. Case numbered, movement signed and numbered, case and movement with matching numbers
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Diameter: 54 mm
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Weight: 140 g
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Signed: Bautte & Cie à Genève

             LeCoultre & Cie Le Sentier
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Former noble property.
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There was never a legal or formal corporate partnership between Bautte & Cie and LeCoultre & Cie. They remained entirely independent, separate corporate entities throughout their respective lifespans.

The Separation of Roles

• The Manufacturer: LeCoultre & Cie (based in the Vallée de Joux) operated as a master engineer of raw movements (ébauches). They built the complex minute repeating layout, but they did not case it, decorate the dial, or sell it directly to the public. 
• The Luxury House: Bautte & Co. (operating out of Geneva) bought that raw mechanical movement from LeCoultre. Bautte’s watchmakers custom finished the components, added the high end red guilloché enamel dial, fitted it into the 18 carat  gold hunting case and sold it to their high profile client (the Shah).