Swiss 18K gold open faced complicated lever watch Circa 1902

Gold complicated pocket watch by Patek Philippe
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A Swiss 18 carat gold open faced minute repeating split-seconds chronograph with perpetual calendar and moon phases, circa 1902. Retailed by Schreve, Crump & Low Co, Boston. Sold on February 3, 1903. Lever movement, jewelled. Cuvette personally inscribed. White enamel dial with Roman hours and Arabic minutes, subsidiary dials for the days of the week, months, moon phases and the date combined with constant seconds. Plain case, monogram on the back. Dial signed, case and movement signed and numbered. Comes with a Certificate of Origin and an Extract from the Archives.
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Diameter: 54 mm
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Signed: Patek, Philippe & Co Geneva
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The present piece is an exceptional example of an early 20th-century highly complicated watch from Patek Philippe. It features three important complications: the perpetual calendar for astronomical functions, the split-seconds chronograph for timing two events at once, and a fine minute repeating complication that chimes the hours and minutes, activated from a slide at the case band.
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The original owner, Clarence W. Barron, received this watch as a gift from his wife. To this day, Barron is considered one of the most influential figures in the history of the Dow Jones & Company. Barron worked for a number of newspapers throughout his life, eventually founding the ‘Boston News Bureau’ and the ‘Philadelphia Bureau’. He specialized in financial journalism, and when he bought the Dow Jones & Company in 1903, he became de facto manager of the ‘Wall Street Journal’ as well. He gained a reputation for deeply scrutinizing corporate financial records, and his investigatory work for the ‘Boston Post’ helped to expose Charles Ponzi, leading to Ponzi’s eventual arrest. His stellar career has justly earned him the legacy as the founder of modern financial journalism.