Large Swiss 18k gold hunting case repeating lever Ccirca 1910

Gold minute repeater by Patek Philippe
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An extremely fine, rare and large Swiss 18 carat gold hunting case minute repeating lever pocket watch, circa 1910. Sold on May 3, 1911. Rhodium plated movement, 31 jewels, wolf’s tooth winding, counterpoised straight-line lever escapement, cut bimetallic compensation balance, blued steel Breguet balance spring with swan neck micrometer regulator, repeating on gongs activated by a slide on the band. Gold hinged cuvette. White enamel dial with Breguet numerals, outer minute track, subsidiary seconds and original blued steel spade hands.  Dial, case, cuvette and movement signed, case numbered. Polished case, engraved dedication to the interior of the front cover. Accompanied by the original Patek Philippe mahogany fitted box, copy of the original Certificate of Origin, Extract from the Archives and spare mainsprings.
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Diameter: 55 mm
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Signed: Patek, Philippe & Cie Genève
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A minute repeating watch tells the time both visually and audibly. A slide on the side of the case, usually near the 9, will activate two hammers in the movement. These hammers strike two gongs curled within the case. First one hammer strikes a gong of lower tonality, it counts out the hours. Then both hammers strike both gongs alternately to count out the quarter hours after that hour and then the second hammer alone striking a gong of higher tonality, it counts out the minutes after that quarter hour. The repeating mechanism was developed by Daniel Quare. In 1687, he patented a mechanism that sounded the hours and the quarter hours. Early repeaters used bells. At the end of the 18th century, two bent wire gongs became the more popular mechanism. In 1892, the first minute repeater wristwatch was produced by Omega, a model with a round shaped case.