German rose gold watch with jumping hours and minutes Circa 1900

Rose gold digital pocket watch by Dürrstein & Co.
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A rare and extremely fine Glashütte pocket watch with jumping hours and minutes, circa 1900. This watch features a 14 carat rose gold case, the back of which is intricately engraved with a monogram. Its white enamel dial has apertures that show the digital hours and minutes with small sunk subsidiary seconds below. It also has a ¾ plate movement, two barrels and a screw compensation balance.
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Diameter: 51 mm
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Weight: 99 g
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Signed: Dürrstein & Co.
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Dürrstein & Co. developed their own jumping time display mechanism, which was inspired by the jumping numeral watches from International Watch Company Schaffhausen, based on Joseph Pallweber’s patent. Unlike Pallweber’s mechanism, Dürrstein’s version had a second spring barrel that provided power to drive the dials.

A few watches based on this patent with a very similar design can also be found from A. Lange & Söhne. These have sold for high, five-digit, sums at auctions.

The hammer and mallet symbol on the present watch indicates that it belonged to a person in a high position in the mining industry.