Swiss platinum keyless commemorative dress watch Circa 1979

Platinum limited edition anniversary watch      
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A very fine Swiss extremely rare and thin platinum open faced keyless dress watch, circa 1979. Made in a limited edition to commemorate the 50th anniversary of the Lucerne Tir Federal Schützenfest in 1979. A polished case with an inclined bezel, the back cover is decorated with a special high relief panel by Hans Erni, dated 1978, depicting the crouching figure of William Tell with a crossbow. Lacquered dial with narrow black radial Roman hour numerals, an outer minute track and blued steel Breguet hands. A rhodium plated movement with Geneva striping decoration, 20 jewels, a straight line lever escapement, monometallic balance, self compensating flat balance spring, shock absorbers on the escape and balance wheel pivots. Movement signed.
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Diameter: 41 mm
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Signed: Piguet  Swiss
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Hans Erni was born on February 21st, 1909 and died on March 21st, 2015 in Lucerne, Switzerland and was a painter and sculptor. He is known for illustrating postage stamps, making lithographs for the Swiss Red Cross and participating on the Olympic Committee. The Hans Erni House in the Lucerne Transportation Museum contains a large collection of his artwork.
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The Schützenfest (German marksmen’s festival) is an annual traditional event celebrated in the Northwest regions of Germany, Bavaria and Switzerland. It is a kind of fair featuring a shooting match among members of the local marksmen’s association and usually takes place in the summer. At a Schützenfest, contestants prove their shooting ability, for example by aiming at a wooden eagle. The winner becomes the ‘Schützenkönig’ (King of Marksmen) until the following year’s competition.