Swiss 14K gold hunting cased commemorative watch Circa 1899

Gold hunting cased pocket watch by IWC
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A German 14 carat gold hunting cased pocket watch, circa 1899. Made to commemorate the 25th employment anniversary of a servant at the Russian imperial court.
The polished case with an applied double headed eagle on the front lid, the back with an engraved monogram surrounded by a dedication engraving in Cyrillic: In memory of the colleagues 1874 – 4 IX – 1899. White enamel dial with Arabic hours, an outer minute track, outermost Arabic five minute numerals, sunk auxiliary seconds at 6 o’clock and spade hands.
A frosted gilt 2/3 plate movement with screwed chatons and screw compensation balance. Dial and cuvette are signed Edouard Burchard, movement numbered.
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Diameter: 50 mm
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Weight: 102 g
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Signed: International Watch Co.
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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.