German 18 Carat gold important Glashütte pocket watch Circa 1855

Open faced pocket watch by P. J. Schoeppler
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An important German, early Glashütte pocket watch with pin pallet escapement and stem winding system from Adolph Lange’s experimental period, circa 1855.
The case is 18 Carat gold. The dial is white enamel with Roman numerals, a subsidiary dial for the seconds and blued steel hands. It has a 1/2 plate movement and screw compensation balance.
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Diameter: 47 mm
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Weight: 73 g
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Signed: Adolph Lange, Glashütte / P. J. Schoeppler in Mainz
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This is a rare example from the technical history of the horological industry in Glashütte. The A. Lange & Cie. movement and case no. 1174 refer to the year of production around 1855, but the ebauche was probably already made in 1849. The movement still uses the long version of the brass anchor and the wheel is made of polished steel. The compensation balance has two adjustment screws. The escapement construction as such had not yet been fully developed, the 2/3 plate with the gold escapement came a few years later. This watch, however, uses one of the earliest versions of crown winding.
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Schöppler
Philipp Jacob Schöppler was a prominent well-known watchmaker and retailer in Mainz. During the 1840’s and 1850’s, Adolph Lange was struggling financially to establish his new watchmaking industry in Glashütte. To secure vital capital, he routinely sold individual ébauches (unfinished raw movements) or complete movements to established watchmakers and retail jewellers across Germany. He purchased an early experimental movement from Lange (Case/Movement No. 1174, built around 1855). Schöppler finished, cased, and engraved his own name (“P. J. Schoeppler in Mainz”) on it to sell to a local client.

Beyond his workshop, Schöppler (1804–1870) was a notable political figure in Mainz. He served as the chairman of the Democratic Association during the Revolution of 1848/49 and was a founding member of local workers’ educational and political unions.