French 18 carat gold hunter cased lever chronometer Circa 1892

Gold lever by Antoine Frères
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A French hunting cased pocket watch, lever chronometer, circa 1892. This watch features an 18 carat gold case, a white signed enamel dial with Arabic numerals, a subsidiary seconds dial, and gold hands. It has a bridge movement, a screw compensation balance, and a blued helical balance spring.
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Diameter: 56 mm
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Weight: 132 g
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Signed: Antoine Frères, Besançon
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The Antoine Frères company, based in Besançon, was established in 1880 by brothers Ernest and Jules Antoine. Its premises were located at Rue Morcey 5, and it operated until approximately 1914. In 1897, Antoine Frères secured a patent for a mechanism featuring a power reserve; earlier, in 1889, it received a special award at the World Exhibition in Paris. Ernest published his work “Etudes sur l’horlogerie, le réglage” in 1890, and in 1897, he also wrote an article on the angular velocity of balances.