American repeating chronograph with moon phase Circa 1880

Pink gold and enamel hunting cased perpetual calendar watch
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A fine American pink gold and enamel hunting cased keyless lever minute repeating chronograph watch with perpetual calendar and moon phases, made for the Russian market, circa 1880. Swiss damascened nickel movement featuring a highly jewelled, bimetallic compensation balance and precision regulation. The balance cock is engraved with Pat. Feb. 5.67, and the chronograph mechanism is visible on the backplate and signed and numbered Tiffany & Co., New York No. 77771. The white enamel dial showcases radial Arabic numerals and four sunken subsidiary dials for day, month with leap year indication, date, and subsidiary seconds, with an aperture for moon phases. It includes an outer minute ring and chronograph seconds track with Arabic numeral divisions. The dial is completed with blued steel filigree hands, a central chronograph seconds hand, and two adjusters beneath the bezel for advancing moon phases and day/date in tandem. It is signed Tiffany & Co.
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The heavy 18 carat pink gold case features polished covers with milled bezels. The front displays an applied polychrome enamel lesser Coat of Arms of the Russian Empire. The plain polished gold cuvette and the case are signed Tiffany & Co., with the case and cuvette numbered 77771 and the front numbered 71. The covers, band, and cuvette bear Swiss hallmarks.
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Diameter: 57 mm
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Signed: Tiffany & Co. New York
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The movement is running smoothly. The chronograph functions—start, stop, and reset—operating correctly. The day and date advance as expected when manually adjusted past midnight, and the calendar adjusters on the bezel are functioning well. The hands are set smoothly, although the crown occasionally slips out of the handset position during adjustments. There is a hairline crack on the dial between the day and moon phase indicators, along with two additional hairline cracks between the moon phase dial and the dial edge at the 27 minute mark. These cracks include a few tiny chips and a small intersecting crack. The case is in good overall condition, with solid covers and seemingly strong, tight hinges. The milling remains clear. However, the cuvette hinge does not appear to be as tight.
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Charles Lewis Tiffany (1812-1902), the renowned jewellery and watch merchant, began selling timepieces in 1847 and quickly gained a leading reputation in the industry. Tiffany offered watches from top makers and secured exclusive agreements to import watches from Patek Philippe in 1854 and Charles Frodsham in 1860. By 1874, Tiffany’s horological department had become so successful that they opened their own watchmaking factory at Place Cornavin in Geneva. That same year, Tiffany advertised chronographs (including split seconds), calendars, repeaters, and clock watches. Although the Geneva factory was short lived, closing just two years later, Tiffany’s collaborations with watchmakers continued to flourish. In 1876, a new agreement with Patek Philippe positioned Tiffany as their representative at the Centennial Exhibition in Philadelphia and established them as the general agents for Patek Philippe in America.
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The reverse side of the present piece features the lesser coat of arms of the Russian Empire, approved by Alexander III in 1882. This emblem showcases the Imperial double headed eagle encircling the emblem of St. George. The collar of the Order of St. Andrew surrounds St. George’s emblem, and the arms of seven different territories adorn the wings of the imperial eagle.