Rare Swiss niëllo silver tourbillon lever pocket watch Circa 1900

Niëllo silver lever tourbillon by Courvoisier Frères
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A rare Swiss niëllo and silver open faced poor man’s tourbillon lever pocket watch, circa 1900. Based on Paul Loichot’s Swiss patent No. 30754. Full plate movement with a club tooth lever escapement and screwed compensation balance, inscribed U.S. Pat. appl. for D.R.P. ang. Pat. N. 7888/1905, Brevettato R.A.208.N.232, Btè S.G.D.G. 30754. Gilt, engine turned dial, small eccentric indication of time in the upper half with radial Arabic hours, outer minute dots and spade hands, an aperture to view the visible tourbillon with a decoratively engraved balance bridge. The case is lavishly decorated with a filigree pattern of stars and tendrils, a rose gold cartouche on the back. Case and movement numbered. Comes with a matching niëllo silver chatelaine, a pill box with floral ornamentation and the original presentation box.
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Diameter: 53 mm
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Weight: 102 g
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Signed: Courvoisier Frères Mobilis La Chaux-de-Fonds
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The brothers Henri-Louis and Philippe Auguste Courvoisier traded from 1842 on under the name Courvoisier Frères. When more brothers joined the partnership in 1882, they changed the company name to Courvoisier Fils. Specialising in high quality watches, they were commissioned by the city of La Chaux-de-Fonds to create a watch for the Prussian King William IV. At the time this ultra flat watch was supposedly the thinnest in the world. The tourbillon movement invented by the Swiss Paul Loichot (which he turned in the case so it would be visible face sided) was patented for the Courvoisier brothers on July 4th, 1905 under the number 19062 and the name ‘Mobilis’.