Swiss 18K gold and champlevé lever chronograph Circa 1880

Split-seconds chronograph with 1/4th second diablotine by Henri Berthoud
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A very fine, extremely rare, large and heavy Swiss 18 carat gold and champlevé enamel hunting cased keyless lever pocket watch with two-train independent split-seconds chronograph and 1/4th second diablotine, circa 1880. Made for United States Congress Presentation. Nickel movement, 25 jewels, twin barrel with tandem winding, straight-line lever escapement, cut bimetallic compensation balance, blued steel Breguet balance spring, heart-piece on the backplate with a crystal roller. Hinged gold cuvette with engine-turned border. White enamel dial with narrow Roman numerals, outer minute track, outermost seconds divided into quarters, subsidiary quarter-second jump diablotine, and original blued steel Breguet hands. Case engine-turned to both sides, polished borders, the sprung front cover decorated with a central medallion in black champlevé enamel depicting a coastal lifesaving, the back cover with a central medallion in black and red champlevé enamel of the Seal of The United States of America, reeded band, button at 11 for the start/stop and return-to-zero of the chronograph, button at 1 for the split-seconds. Dial and movement signed.
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Diameter: 58 mm
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Signed: Henri Berthoud Locle
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The present watch is of very high quality and was obviously intended to be presented by Congress as a very important award for lifesaving. In terms of United States Congress presentation pieces, this watch is early in date.
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The feature known as a diablotine is a small subsidiary dial on a chronograph or independent centre seconds pocket watch, the hand of which moves in a jumping manner at intervals of 1/4 or 1/5th of a second. The term literally means ‘little devil’. The diablotine is halted when the chronograph or centre seconds is stopped and the fractions of a second can be read.