German heavy 18k pink gold Glashütte pocket watch Circa 1889

Hunting cased pocket watch by A. Lange & Söhne
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A German heavy, magnificent Glashütte hunting cased pocket watch – lever chronometer – with case decoration by Prof. Carl Ludwig Graff, sold in 1889 for 585 Marks. The watch features an 18-carat pink gold case with a glazed movement. The dial is white enamel with black Arabic hours and red Arabic minutes, gold Louis XV hands, and a countersunk dial for the seconds. The movement is a 3/4 plate with a large gold screw compensation balance. The dial and movement are both signed and numbered.
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Diameter: 60 mm
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Weight: 184 g
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Signed: A. Lange & Söhne Glashütte B/Dresden
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Professor Karl Ludwig Theodor Graff, who became the director of the Institute of Applied Arts in Dresden (Dresdner Kunstgewerbeschule) in 1875 created designs in this style. Starting in the 1880s, Lange & Soehne company produced increasingly elaborate decorations featuring medallions with the image of the ancient Roman goddess Minerva, who was revered as the goddess of crafts, poetry, and wisdom. Professor Graff then obtained a copyright for his design, which had won first prize in the Institute of Applied Arts’ 1890 competition to design and decorate pocket watch cases.