Swiss gold hunting cased lever chronometer watch Circa 1860

Gold pocket watch with engraved crest
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A fine and rare Swiss, 18K gold, hunting cased, keyless, pocket lever chronometer watch, circa 1860. With gold stripes from the fork to the counterpoise arms invented by Fritz Piguet. Engine-turned covers with polished borders, the front cover with engraved crest, reeded band. Hinged gold cuvette. White enamel dial, radial Roman numerals, outer minute divisions, Arabic five-minute numerals, subsidiary seconds. Blued steel spade hands. A frosted gilt, half-plate movement, 21 jewels, counterpoised straight-line lever escapement, the elongated counterpoise arms made of gold strips continuing to the fork, cut bimetallic compensation balance, blued steel Breguet balance spring, index regulator. Cuvette signed.
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Diameter: 49 mm
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Signed: Ls. Bachelard & Fils  Genève
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This interesting watch is inscribed on Echappement a ancre libre echange par lames d’Or de Fritz Piguet. The gold strips run from each side of the lever fork and continue to join the end of the counterpoise arms; they provide sprung banking for the roller without limiting the natural arc of the balance or affecting the timekeeping or adjustment of the watch.
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Demi-Chronomètre: The name was used very rarely and usually indicates that the movement was sent to the Observatory for chronometric control, but for commercial reasons, it did not remain long enough to complete the entire course of testing. Only two other Genevan firms employed the denomination Demi-Chronomètre: Henry Capt and Vacheron Constantin.
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Fritz Piguet: The company specialized in superbly adjusted watches and supplied ebauches to most of the major watchmakers during the middle of the 19th century, including Patek Philippe. They worked at Rue Bonnivard 10, Geneva. They were associated with the firm of Bachmann as Fritz Piguet & Bachmann and employed an excellent adjuster, the famous Favre-Rochat, who competed with Batifolier. Both were expert adjusters specializing in complicated watches. Piguet & Bachmann rivalled Haas Neveux in Geneva Timing Competitions for first place in complicated watches. Piguet & Bachman won the first prize in the 1888 Geneva Observatory Timing Contest with 228.8 points. They also won a silver medal in the 1878 Paris Universal Exhibition and a gold medal in Melbourne in 1881. They were the top contenders among those specializing in complicated watches.