English silver lever with one minute tourbillon Circa 1895

Silver open faced lever watch with tourbillon
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A very fine, rare English silver open faced lever pocket watch with one minute tourbillon type 1 by Auguste Grether, Ponts-de-Martel, circa 1895. Glazed, frosted gilt, specially designed, bridge movement, ébauche: Roulet, la Sagne (Roulet Emile), keywind, chain/fusee, finely executed mirror polished steel tourbillon cage with filigree decorations of a heart an two arrows, chatoned, club tooth lever escapement, gold screwed compensation balance, freesprung blued balance spring. White enamel dial by Willis with Roman hours, auxiliary seconds and blued spade hands. Plain case, casemaker’s punch mark FT for Frederick Thoms. Dial signed.
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Diameter: 56 mm
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Weight: 155 g
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Signed: Hedgethorne Brighton
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Hedgethorne is listed as an excellent chronometermaker in ‘Thomas Mercer, Chronometermakers of the world’.
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Not much is known about Auguste Grether (1817-1887). He trained to become a watchmaker in Ponts-de-Martel and Le Locle and later worked for the best companies in La Chaux-de-Fonds and Le Locle, where he concentrated on the production of marine chronometers. Grether specialized in the creation of fine mechanical parts that were, for example, used in the production of tourbillons.