Swiss gold complicated watch for the German market Circa 1900

Gold repeater made for Dürrstein & Co.
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An extremely fine and important Swiss, 18 carat rose gold minute repeating hunting cased keyless pocket watch, circa 1900. Audemars Piguet poket watch with nine complications, one of a special series of complicated watches for the German market. With split seconds Chronograph, instantaneous 30 minute register, perpetual calendar and phases of the moon. Made for Dürrstein & Co., Dresden. A massive and polished Louis XV case, the front cover with engraved foliate monogram, push button for the start/stop and return to zero functions of the chronograph at 1, for the split-seconds and rejoin at 11. Hinged gold cuvette, glazed gold rimmed cover over the movement.
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Seven piece white enamel dial with Arabic numerals, outer minute track, outermost chronograph track with fifths of second divisions and red Arabic five second/minute numerals. Four subsidiary dials for days of the week, dates, and months. Concentric with leap year indication and instantaneous 30 minute register, seconds and aperture for the phases of the moon and pink gold Louis XV hands. Matte gilt movement, 31 jewels, calibrated straight line lever escapement, cut bimetallic compensation balance with gold and platinum temperature and meantime adjustment screws, blued steel Breguet balance spring with overcoil, swan-neck micrometre regulator, repeating on gongs activated by a slide on the band. Case and movement numbered.
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Diameter: 59 mm
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Signed: Audemars Piguet & Co.  Swiss
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Accompanied by a period box
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This large and extremely high grade complicated watch is in exceptional condition with a heavy gauge pink gold case and perfect multipiece enamel dial. It is one of a series of 35 complicated watches made by Audemars Piguet between 1895 and 1912, especially for Dürrstein & Co. of Dresden, one of Audemars Piguet’s most important clients whose owner Johannes Dürrstein had founded the Glashütte Union watch manufacture in 1893. All the watches in this small series of highly complicated watches supplied by Audemars Piguet were unsigned and were consciously made very much in the German Glashütte” style. The Louis XV type case and stepped multipiece dial are very distinct in the German taste. This superb complicated watch is likely to appeal to both collectors of fine German watches and to those who appreciate the best of Swiss horology. Literature: An almost identical watch is illustrated in Audemars Piguet, Brunner, Pfeiffer-Belli & Wehrli, 1993, p. 52. of the Audemars Piguet book by Brunner, Pfeiffer-Belli, Wehrli nine Complications: Minute repeating, Chronograph, Split seconds, Register, Perpetual calendar, Date, Days of the week, Months and Moon phases.