Fine Swiss 14 carat gold open faced keyless lever watch Circa 1906

Gold lever watch by International Watch Company
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A fine Swiss 14K gold open faced keyless Schaffhausen lever pocket watch, circa 1906. This watch features a plain rose 14K gold polished case and a gilt dial with Breguet-style numerals, outer minute divisions, and subsidiary seconds at 6 o’clock, complemented by Breguet-style hands. The 2/3 plate movement with lever escapement and screw compensation balance ensures precision.
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Diameter: 54 mm
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Weight: 120 g
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Signed: International Watch Co. Schaffhausen
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International Watch Company Schaffhausen (IWC) was established in 1868 by Florentine Ariosto Jones (1841–1916), an American engineer and watchmaker from Boston, Massachusetts. He had previously served as a director of E. Howard & Co. was America’s leading watchmaking company at the time. Jones aimed to combine modern engineering technology from the U.S. with Swiss craftsmanship to produce high-quality watches for the American market. At the time, wages in Switzerland were relatively low, and skilled watchmaking was mainly carried out by people in their homes. However, Jones faced opposition to his plans in French-speaking Switzerland, where people feared for their jobs and the work they did at home because he wanted to open a factory. In 1850, the town of Schaffhausen was in danger of being left behind in the Industrial Age. To combat this, watch manufacturer and industrialist Johann Heinrich Moser built Schaffhausen’s first hydroelectric plant and laid the foundation for future industrialization. Moser probably met Jones in Le Locle and showed great interest in his plans. Together, they laid the foundations for the only watch manufacturer in north-eastern Switzerland: the International Watch Company in Schaffhausen.