Swiss 14K gold minute repeating lever pocket watch Circa 1900

Gold repeating full hunter by Henry Moser & Cie
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A very fine Swiss 14 carat gold hunting cased minute repeating lever pocket watch, circa 1900. Bridge movement, quality Tobias, two hammers, two gongs, a piston tooth lever escapement and gold screw compensation balance. White enamel dial with Roman hours, an outer minute track, sunk subsidiary seconds at 6 o’clock and moon hands. A guilloché case. Dial signed, cuvette and case signed and numbered.
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Diameter: 52 mm
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Weight: 117 g
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Signed: Hy Moser & Cie
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Henry Moser came from a family of watchmakers whose origins go back to the beginning of the 18th century. He made the family name famous as the ‘Russian-Swiss’ brand. Born in 1805 as Johann Heinrich Moser, he learned the clockmaker’s trade from his father. From 1824, to expand his skills he worked for some time in Le Locle, Switzerland. In 1826, he returned to his hometown Schaffhausen to start his own business, however, the city council rejected his application and another was given the coveted position of city watchmaker.

Driven by big plans, Heinrich decided to relocate his business to Russia, which, at the time, was a promising trading hub for watches and had an excellent workforce too. After working in several positions, Heinrich Moser founded the company Henry Moser & Cie in St. Petersburg in 1828, adapting his name to English for commercial reasons. In 1928, Moser opened a watch company in Le Locle, again under the name Henry Moser & Cie. The first Moscow branch opened in 1831 and Henry Moser & Cie became suppliers to the Tsar and the Russian army. The company expanded its market to Japan, China, what was then Persia and Turkestan, as well as Siberia and Kamchatka. In 1845, about 50 people were employed in Russia.