Rare Swiss 18 carat gold retrograde pocket watch Circa 1870

Perpetual calendar with fly back date
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A rare Swiss 18 carat gold retrograde pocket watch with a perpetual calendar with fly back date, circa 1870. A polished bezel and band, engine turned back cover with an engraved foliate monogram highlighted with black enamel. Hinged gold glazed cuvette. White enamel dial with radial Roman numerals, outer dot minute divisions and Arabic five minute numerals, subsidiary dials for the seconds and the months, aperture for the days of the week, retrograde date sector and blue steel spade hands. Matte gilt movement, 15 jewels, wolf’s tooth winding, straight line lever escapement, cut bimetallic compensation balance with gold meantime and temperature adjustment screws, blued steel Breguet balance spring with overcoil, swanneck micrometer regulator. Punched inscription for Ekegren recording a gold medal in Paris in 1867.
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Diameter: 51 mm
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Signed: Henry-Robert Ekegrèn  Swiss
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Henri Robert Ekegrèn, a renowned Danish watchmaker, was born in Copenhagen in 1823 to watchmaker Daniel Ekegrèn. Throughout his career, he worked with notable figures such as Jules-Frédéric Jürgensen, Henri Golay, Joseph Thaddeus Winnerl, and Adolph Lange before establishing his own business in Geneva. In 1857, he cofounded Ekegrèn & Westermann with Ferdinand Westermann. After Westermann’s departure in 1862, the company was renamed H.R. Ekegrèn. Ekegrèn gained recognition by winning multiple gold medals at world exhibitions and consistently excelling in Geneva’s chronometer competitions. His timepieces were considered among the finest in Geneva.
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In 1891, Ekegrèn sold his business to E. Koehn but continued to contribute to the company until his passing in 1896 at the age of 72. In his honour, Koehn marked the best watches with H.R. Ekegrèn. The company also supplied watches to prestigious firms like Tiffany & Co. Ekegrèn was highly esteemed for his sophisticated craftsmanship and held a patent for a horological oil presented in 1874. In 1888, the Art Society of Geneva deemed it the best oil produced to date. He served as the watchmaker to the King of Denmark and earned gold medals at the Universal Exhibitions in Paris (1867), Vienna (1873), Philadelphia (1876), and Paris again (1878).
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The company was located in Geneva at the Grand Quai, now Quai Général-Guisan 26, near Patek Philippe. The site has since housed various businesses, including Bucherer, Holland America Line, Natural Le Coultre, Universal Genève, and currently, a Chanel store. Nearby are Patek Philippe and the former Hotel de Paris, now Hermès