Fine Swiss 18 carat gold open faced lever watch Circa 1930

Yellow gold pocket watch
–
A fine Swiss 18 carat yellow gold open faced lever pocket watch made by Tavannes Watch Company in Tavannes, Switzerland, circa 1930. The polished case has a metal bow. White enamel dial with fancy black Arabic hour numerals, an outer minute track, sunk subsidiary seconds at 6 o’clock and blued steel diamond/kite hands. A rhodium plated movement with Geneva striping decoration, 15 jewels, a straight line lever escapement, cut bimetallic compensation balance, Breguet balance spring and an index regulator.
–
Diameter: 39.5 mm
–
Signed: Tavannes Watch Co
–
In 1870, watchmaker Henri Sandoz founded Henri Sandoz & Co. in Le Locle, Switzerland. He left the company in 1891 and established a new firm, Tavannes Watch Co. SA, in the small town of Tavannes in the Canton of Bern. They manufactured watches, watchmaking machinery and other specialized machines. Tavannes Watch Co. soon struck a distribution deal with Schwob Frères of La Chaux-de-Fonds.

Many Tavannes models were sold using the Cyma brand, with sales rapidly rising from 1900 through the 1950’s. By 1938, the company boasted that it was the 4th largest watch manufacturer in the world, having sold over 30 million pieces. At that time, they employed over 3.000 skilled watchmakers to produce around 4.000 watches a day.