Swiss gold hunting cased five-minute repeating lever Circa 1900

Gold five-minute repeater by LeCoultre
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A very fine and rare Swiss 18-carat gold hunting-cased five-minute repeating keyless lever pocket watch, circa 1900. Rhodium-plated movement, 19 jewels, wolf’s tooth winding, counterpoised straight-line lever escapement, cut bimetallic compensation balance, blued steel Breguet balance spring with overcoil, index regulator, repeating on gongs activated by a slide on the band. Gold hinged cuvette, overglazed gold-rimmed cover to view the movement. White enamel dial with narrow Roman numerals, outer minute track, outer red Arabic five-minute numerals, subsidiary seconds and original blued steel spade hands. Engine-turned case with polished borders. Movement signed LeCoultre & Co under the hour hammer, movement numbered.
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Diameter: 52 mm
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Signed: LeCoultre & Co
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Five-minute repeating is a rare variant of the repeating watch; instead of the more common quarter and minute repeating, a five-minute repeater strikes the hours followed by a single hammer blow for each elapsed five minutes after the hour up to a total of 11 strikes for fifty-five minutes past (five minutes to the next hour).