Swiss half-hunting cased complicated lever watch Circa 1910

Rose gold keyless lever with 7 complications by Audemars Piguet
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An extremely fine and rare Swiss 18 carat rose gold half-hunting cased minute repeating keyless lever chronograph pocket watch with perpetual calendar, phases of the moon and lunar calendar, circa 1910. Retailed by A. Eppner & Co, Silberg-Breslau. Matte gilt movement, ∅ 43 mm, 31 jewels, a counterpoised straight-line lever escapement, cut bimetallic compensation balance with gold temperature and platinum meantime adjustment screws, blued steel Breguet balance spring with overcoil and swan-neck micrometre regulator, repeating on gongs activated by a slide on the band. A hinged gold cuvette. White enamel dial with Arabic hours, an outer minute track, outermost fifths of a second divisions with Arabic five-second/minute numerals, four subsidiary dials for the days of the week, date, months concentric with leap year indication, seconds and an aperture for the phases of the moon, a lunar calendar on the edge, gold Louis XV hands. The massive, polished case with a glazed aperture and radial black Roman hours on the front cover, the back with a finely engraved full coat of arms, the interior of the reverse with an engraved dedication, a push button for the chronograph at 12 o’clock. Cuvette signed by the retailer, movement numbered and signed Audemars Pgt & Co. beneath the perpetual calendar plate.
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Diameter: 55 mm
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Signed: Audemars Pgt & Co.
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Audemars Piguet & Cie. Jules Louis Audemars, born on March 28th, 1851 and died on October 15th, 1918 and Edward Auguste Piguet born in 1853 and died in 1919 were two young and ambitious watchmakers who established their workshop in 1875 in their home village Le Brassus, Vallée de Joux, Switzerland. Audemars was in charge of production and technical aspects while Piguet focused on sales and management. Believing in the power of the Vallée de Joux’s network of artisanship and following their firm convictions, they set on crafting unique complicated mechanisms by hand at a time when serial production was looming with the rise of industrialisation.

While the two entrepreneurs first produced complicated movements that were sold to Geneva-based firms, they soon orchestrated the production of complete watches in the region by coordinating the activities of a variety of craftsmen, buying in blanks, cases, dials, bracelets and sending out pieces for gem-setting and decorating. The miniaturisation, design, assembly and setting of movements were then done at Audemars Piguet’s workbenches. The company ledgers demonstrate that nearly 80% of the 1600 watches produced by Audemars Piguet between 1882 and 1892 included at least one, if not several complications. Refined chiming, chronograph and astronomical watches, assembled and finished by hand, have remained the beating heart of Audemars Piguet ever since.