German early 18K gold Glashütte lever watch Circa 1850

Gold hunting cased pocket watch
–
A historically important and early 18 carat gold hunting cased key wind Glashütte pocket watch from A. Lange‘s experimental period, circa 1850. Retailed by Gustav Bernhard Gutkaes in Dresden. The signed and numbered case has a gold cuvette. The white enamel dial has Roman hour numerals, outer minute divisions and moon hands. The signed and numbered bridge movement is fitted with a pin lever escapement, gold screw compensation balance and blued balance spring.
–
Diameter: 45 mm
–
Weight: 66 g
–
Signed: Fr. Gutkaes Dresden
–
Gustav Bernhard Gutkaes (1817-1893) was the brother-in-law and associate of Ferdinand Adolph Lange. Together they took over the business of his father, Friedrich Gutkaes, in 1842.
–
Gustav Bernhard continued running the watch shop in the Schloßstraße in Dresden. He was the first authorised retailer of the newly established watch manufactory of A. Lange in Glashütte. By special order, this watch bears only his name, a common business process which other retailers also used frequently. Watch No. 1154 was made around 1851/1852. This assumption is supported by a letter from Lange to Dr A. Weinling dating October 3rd, 1851, where he writes: “….we have stamped numbers in the eleventh hundred.”
–
After 1850, stone cutter Oskar Dittrich had enough experience to change the steel pins in the lever for cutting stones in prismatic shape. The top plate of the movement was radically reduced and, for some time, replaced the old ebauches that had been used until then. The lever still had a long fork. There are only very few examples (about 50 to 100 pieces) of this type of caliber with the vertical prismatic stones.
–
The signature “Fr. Gutkaes Dresden” was probably used for the reputation of the older Gutkaes, who was maker to the court. Gustav Bernhard Gutkaes himself was only appointed maker to the court in 1855.