French 18 carat gold valuable pocket watch Circa 1910

Astronomical watch with perpetual calendar
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An extremely valuable astronomical pocket watch with perpetual calendar and moon phase, made by L. Leroy & Cie in Paris, France circa 1910. This watch features an 18 carat gold numbered case and a numbered cuvette. The silvered dial with an outer minute and hour track features Arabic hour numerals, a subsidiary seconds and moon phase display at 6 o’clock, a date sub dial at 3 o’clock, a day of the week sub dial at 9 o’clock, a leap year indicator displaying the 48 months of a four year cycle, which automatically accounts for February 29 and Breguet steel hands. The numbered ultra thin Audemars Piguet movement is fitted with a lever escapement and is beautifully finished with Geneva striping.
The dial and the cuvette are signed.
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Diameter: 45 mm
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Weight: 65 g
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Signed: L. Leroy & Cie Paris
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Since the presentation of the “Leroy 01” in 1900, Leroy & Cie. has been regarded as a reference for “ultra complex” watches. With 975 individual parts and more than 24 complications, the Leroy 01 was considered the most complicated watch ever made until 1989. In 1900, it received the Special Grand Jury Prize at the Universal Exhibition in Paris.
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Leroy & Cie

The “& Cie” (and Company) in the business name primarily represented Louis Leroy’s immediate family members, alongside a select group of highly skilled technical directors and partners.

When the business officially transitioned from Le Roy & Fils to L. Leroy & Cie in 1889, the core figures operating the company alongside Louis Leroy included:

The Family Partners: Théodore-Marie Leroy (Father), Léon Leroy (Youngest Brother) and his son, Louis’s nephew, Pierre Leroy and the key Operational Directors:

Émile Maillard-Salin: The crucial manufacturing director appointed by Louis Leroy. He spearheaded the day to day operations of the company’s vital industrial workshops in Besançon, France – overseeing the immense production of observatory certified precision chronometers and

Jules Halley Desfontaines: The final owner of the predecessor firm (Le Roy & Fils). Before Louis took complete ownership, Jules made the young Louis Leroy a junior partner in 1888, serving as the bridge between the old and new eras of the company.