Swiss gold repeating lever for the Russian market Circa 1880

Gold hunting cased minute repeater attributed to Louis Audemars
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A fine Swiss 18 carat gold hunting cased minute repeating keyless lever pocket watch made for the Russian market, circa 1880. Rhodium-plated movement, 29 jewels, counterpoised straight-line lever escapement, cut bimetallic compensation balance with meantime and temperature adjustment screws, blued steel Breguet balance spring with overcoil, index regulator, repeating on gongs activated by a slide on the band. Hinged gold hinged cuvette. White enamel dial with Roman numerals, outer minute track and Arabic five-minute numerals, subsidiary seconds and original gold spade hands. Polished case. Case and dial plate numbered.
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Diameter: 55 mm
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Signed: No name
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Although unsigned, this watch has several features of the watches made by Louis Audemars. The circular pallet fork counterpoise, balance spring with overcoil and the repeat slide with a dimple. The case is stamped ’72’ for 72 zolotnik, along with the 18K mark, suggesting that it was made for the Russian market.
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A zolotnik was a small Russian unit of weight equal to 0.1505 avoirdupois ounces, or 4.2658 grams (about 65.83 grains). Used from the 10th to 20th centuries, its name is derived from the Russian word zoloto, meaning gold.