Swiss rose gold hunting cased repeating lever Circa 1880

Rose gold minute repeater for the South American market by Henri GrandJean
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A very fine and very rare Swiss 18 carat rose gold hunting cased minute repeating keyless lever pocket watch made for South American market, circa 1880. Rhodium plated, Geneva striping decoration, 30 jewels, wolf’s tooth winding, counterpoised straight-line lever escapement, cut bimetallic compensation balance with blued steel Breguet balance spring, index regulator, repeating on gongs activated by a slide in the band. Gold hinged cuvette. Frosted, solid silver dial with applied gold foliate border, centre with applied gold bird in flight, rose and foliage, black Roman numerals on matte and engraved ring, subsidiary seconds, original blued steel spade hands, the second dial white enamel with Roman numerals, outer minute track and subsidiary seconds, both with snap on fit for easy exchange.  Case with richly engraved foliage and flowers, bezels and band engraved with a repeated pattern. Dial, case and movement signed. Accompanied by the original rosewood fitted box, original certificate, original envelope, a second signed and numbered white enamel dial, spare crystal and spare mainspring.

Diameter: 49 mm
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Signed: Henri GrandJean & Co Locle
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A watch complete with all the originally supplied appurtenances is rarely found, here the certificate even retains its original envelope. On the back of the certificate are all the awards won by GrandJean since 1841. At the first London Universal Exposition in 1851, the firm won a First Class medal. The list continues until 1868, when an award was won for marine chronometers. In between the two they received at least eight other awards, not including those from the Neuchâtel Observatory. Henri Grandjean, along with Constant Girard (later Girard-Perregaux), was one of the first to enter the South American Market. He was also one of the first, along with Ulysse Nardin, to establish marine chronometer manufacturing in Switzerland.