Swiss gold full hunter ‘Extra’ anchor chronometer Circa 1900

Gold hunting cased ‘Extra’ anchor chronometer watch by Louis William Gabus
–
A Swiss 14 carat gold hunting cased ‘Extra’ anchor chronometer pocket watch, circa 1900, made for the Russian market. High quality anchor chronometer, caliber with moustache compensating anchor, wolf teeth and swan neck adjustment, bridge mechanism, rhodium plated and guilloché, 21 jewels very large jewels. White enamel dial with black Arabic numerals and blued steel hands. Plain case, à goutte, dust cover engraved: ‘CHRONOMETRE QUALITÉ  EXTRA 21 RUBIS В. ГАБЮ Locle’ (Cyrillic signature for W. Gabus Locle).
Movement and dial signed in Cyrillic.
–
Diameter: 52 mm
–
Weight: 94 g
–
Signed: В. ГАБЮ
–
Although not as well-known as Moser and Buhre, Louis Gabus was a supplier to the Russian imperial court and supplied some of the most important pocket watches for the Russian market. Qualitatively, Gabus watches are among the finest ordered from Russia.
–
Louis William Gabus was born in 1847 in Le Locle, as the son of master watchmaker Louis Gabus and his wife Heloise Jeanneret-Gris. In 1868, the twenty-year-old Louis traveled to Russia and founded a watch making company there. The first years required a lot of work and perseverance, but after ten years, the effort paid off, Louis William Gabus became a wealthy and respected businessman with steadily increasing success. The name of the department store ‘W. GABUS’ quickly gained a good reputation in Moscow and beyond. At that time, the company also became a sales representative for Patek Philippe & Co. in Russia.