German gold and enamel repeating chronograph Circa 1905

Gold minute repeating lever chronograph with register by Urania
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A very fine, large and heavy German 18 carat rose gold and enamel hunting cased minute repeating keyless lever pocket watch with chronograph and instantaneous register, circa 1905. Made for Ettore Bugatti. Frosted gilt movement, 36 jewels, straight-line lever escapement, cut bimetallic compensation balance with blued steel Breguet balance spring with overcoil, repeating on gongs actvated by a slide on the band. Gold hinged cuvette. White enamel dial with black Arabic numerals, outer minute track and concentric fifths of a second divisions, red Arabic five second numerals, subsidiary dials for the seconds and instantaneous 30 minute register with red Arabic numerals and original blued steel fleur-de-lys hands. Polished case, the front cover with blue and white champlevé enamel monogram EB, button for start/stop and return-to-zero chronograph functions at 12. The ebauche by LeCoultre. Movement signed.
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Diameter: 54 mm
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Signed: Urania München
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Provenance by repute Ettore Bugatti (1881-1947). Ettore Bugatti was perhaps most famous for his racing cars of the 20’s and 30’s which, as well as winning races, have been acknowledged as works of art. Ettore was born in Italy and as a teenager, worked for German and French car companies (De Dion, Peugeot). Having produced several car designs from 1899 for these companies, in 1909 Bugatti set up a small factory in Molsheim in France. After World War I Molsheim, previously German, became French. Bugatti is regarded a French company, Ettore preferred to speak French, and many racing cars of his factory were painted blue, the traditional French racing color. In Molsheim for over 30 years he invented, designed and produced, with astonishing variety, not only cars, which ranged from his innovative and successful tiny racing car in 1911 to the luxury limousines and grand touring cars of the 20’s and 30’s, but also engines, machine tools, and railway rolling stock.