Swiss decorative limited edition gilt lever watch Circa 1981

Gilded sterling silver full hunter by Ernst Fuchs
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A fine, rare and unusual Swiss gilded sterling silver hunting cased keyless lever pocket watch designed by professor Ernst Fuchs, circa 1981. The front of the case shows a swirling pattern symbolizing day and sunlight with a central scarabaeus, a creature of the day that faces the sun, it has the iridescent colours of a rainbow, it shows the spectral composition of sunlight thus Professor Fuchs. The case back is decorated with a central embossed face surrounded by stylized stars, symbolizing the night, it is the light of the stars and the reflected light of the moon, of the dead stars thus Professor Fuchs. The gilt dial is a carved face of the sun framed by a chapter ring with engraved Arabic hours. An exquisite glazed lever movement, elaborately hand engraved gilt bridges decorated with swirls and a Glucydur screw balance.
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Diameter: 56 mm
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Weight: 152 g
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Signed: IWC International Watch Co Schaffhausen
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This timepiece is one of a limited edition by International Watch Co. (IWC), the Scarabaeus Fuchs, which was designed by the Viennese artist Professor Ernst Fuchs. Only 5000 pieces were made but only 150 pieces in silver. The Scarabaeus Fuchs has reference No. 5420.
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Ernst Fuchs was born on February 13th, 1930 and he died on November 9th, 2015. Fuchs was a renowned Austrian painter and visionary architect of the late 20th century, a draftsman, printmaker, sculptor, stage designer, composer, poet and singer. He is further recognized as a founding figure and leading member of the Vienna School of Fantastic Realism. Known for his eccentricity and prolific output, he collaborated on numerous significant architectural and design projects across various artistic fields.

In 1972, he acquired the derelict villa of Otto Wagner in Hütteldorf, which he restored and transformed. The villa was inaugurated as the Ernst Fuchs Museum in 1988.

Fuchs studied sculpture with Emmy Steinbock in 1943, attended the St. Anna Painting School where he studied under Professor Fröhlich in 1944 and entered the Academy of Fine Arts in Vienna in 1945 where he began his studies under Professor Robin C. Anderson, later moving to the class of Albert Paris von Gütersloh.
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International Watch Company Schaffhausen (IWC) was founded in 1868 by Florentine Ariosto Jones (1841–1916), an American engineer and watchmaker from Boston, Massachusetts, who had been a director of E. Howard & Co. in Boston, America’s leading watchmaking company at the time.

He established the company intending to combine modern engineering technology from the U.S. with the craftsmanship of the Swiss to manufacture high quality watches exclusively for the American market. Then, wages in Switzerland were relatively low although there was a ready supply of skilled watchmaking labour mainly carried out by people in their homes. Jones encountered opposition to his plans in French speaking Switzerland. People feared for their jobs and the work they did at home because he wanted to open a factory.

In 1850, Schaffhausen was in danger of being left behind in the Industrial Age. At this stage, watch manufacturer and industrialist Johann Heinrich Moser built Schaffhausen’s first hydroelectric plant laying the cornerstone for future industrialization. He probably met Jones in Le Locle and showed great interest in his plans. Together, they laid the foundations for the only watch manufacturer in northeast Switzerland: the International Watch Company in Schaffhausen.