Large Swiss skeletonized minute repeating pocket watch Circa 1815

Gold skeletonized cylinder repeater by Du Bois & Fils
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An exceptionally exquisite and highly uncommon Swiss skeletonized pocket watch from Geneva, with an early minute repeater, circa 1815. The watch features an 18k red gold engine-turned case with the maker’s punch mark IF. The dial has a skeletonized centre, an enamel chapter ring, Roman numerals for the hours, and blue Breguet steel hands. Additionally, it has a skeletonized full plate movement, key winding, two hammers, two snake-shaped two-tone gongs, an attached rack strike mechanism with mirror-polished steel levers, and a cylinder escapement.
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Against a background of blued steel, one recognises the applied rack strike mechanism with mirror-polished steel levers, the richly decorated open barrel, and the three-arm ring balance with the evenly moving escapement wheel. Opening the rear case cover reveals the openwork, gold-plated movement plate with elaborate engravings and a star-shaped rake in the centre. After triggering the repeater, two hammers strike a pair of two-tone gongs, shaped like snakes, that coil around the movement.
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Diameter: 59 mm
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Weight: 116 g
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Signed: Du Bois et Fils
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Du Bois & Fils
In 1785, Philippe Du Bois and his sons established the watch company Du Bois & Fils 1785 in their family home in Le Locle. With a background as a cloth merchant, Philippe had already built extensive business connections in Europe and America, providing a solid foundation for the watch business. Throughout the 19th century, the company expanded by setting up its own offices in countries such as Germany, Holland, Spain, and America, leading to the flourishing of Du Bois & Fils. The Frankfurt branch played a particularly crucial role due to its proximity to trade fairs.