Swiss gold and enamel octagonal Art Deco dress watch Circa 1920

Gold and enamel dress watch by Paul Ditisheim
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An ornamental Swiss 18 carat gold and enamel open faced octagonal Art Deco dress watch, circa 1920. Bridge movement, large gold screw compensation balance. Gilt dial with Arabic numerals, outer minute divisions and subsidiary seconds at 6 o’clock. An angular case with stylised gold scrolls on a black enamel ground, push back. Dial signed, case numbered, movement signed and numbered, movement and case with matching numbers.
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Dimensions: 43 x 43 mm
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Weight: 52 g
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Signed: Paul Ditisheim Fabricant Chaux-de-Fonds
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The marks on the case indicate that the piece was exported to France. France was the heart of the Art Deco style in the first half of the 20th century.
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Paul Ditisheim was born in 1868 in La Chaux-de-Fonds the historic birthplace of the watchmaking industry, into the small social circle of industrialist families that led the Swiss watch industry of the time. He was a member of the well-known Ditisheim family, the founders and owners of Vulcain. A watch brand enjoyed by American presidents Dwight Eisenhower, Harry Truman, Richard Nixon and Lyndon Johnson. Paul did his apprenticeship at the watchmaking school in La Chaux-de-Fonds, before working in Ponts-de-Martel, Berlin, Paris and Rotherham near Coventry. He worked at his family’s company until 1892 when he opened his own workshop and founded the brands Solvil of which the timepieces were often signed Paul Ditisheim and Titus of which the watches were generally marked separately. Ditisheim was one of the most famous makers of watches and chronometers, who did most of his research and his publications in the field of precision timekeeping. He also worked closely with Physics Nobel prize winner Charles-Edouard Guillaume and has been considered the father of modern chronometers. He presented his watches in many exhibitions. Paul Ditisheim died in 1945, leaving a legacy of technical excellence and design that has renewed the reputation of Swiss Made.