Rare Silesian 18 carat gold lever pocket watch Circa 1865

Gold open faced pocket watch by A. Eppner & Co
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A rare Silesian 18 carat gold open faced lever pocket watch, circa 1865. ½ Plate movement, 19 rubies, key wind, a lever escapement, chronometer balance wheel and screw compensation balance. The cuvette is engraved with technical details and A. Eppner & Co. Hof-Uhrm. Sr. Maj. d. Königs v. Preussen Haehn. White enamel dial with Roman hours, an outer minute track, sunk subsidiary seconds at 6 o’clock and decorative hands. The engine turned case back with an engraved monogram, polished bezels and reeded band. Dial and cuvette signed, case numbered.
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Diameter: 53 mm
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Weight: 124 g
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Signed: A. Eppner & Co Haehn
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This piece is one of the few pocket watches made by A. Eppner & Co. in Lähn, today’s Poland.
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A. Eppner & Co was founded by Eduard Eppner, born in 1812. From 1828, together with his brother Albert, he completed a watchmaking apprenticeship in La Chaux-de-Fonds with the oldest of the three Eppner brothers, Wilhelm, who, at the time, was running a tower and control clock factory there under the name Eppner & Co. In 1835, Eduard Eppner opened his own workshop in Halle. In 1852, he founded a pocket watch factory in Lähn in Silesia (today’s Wlen in Poland) with the financial help of the Prussian government. In 1869, the company was relocated to Silberberg/Silesia (today’s Srebrna Góra) and the business area expanded. Albert Eppner became a partner. In machine production, pocket watches were manufactured in four quality levels. The product range also included pendulum, tower and guard control clocks. The company existed in Silberberg/Silesia until 1945. Eduard Eppner died in Silberberg on July 2, 1887.