Swiss 14K yellow gold full hunter pocket watch Circa 1900

Gold hunting cased keyless lever watch
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A fine Swiss 14 carat yellow gold full hunter pocket watch made for retailer Franz Girscher, circa 1900. It has a mechanical crown winding movement with a lever escapement, stone pallets, and a screwed centre stone. The white enamel dial displays black Roman numerals for the hours, an outer minute track with red 13 to 24 hour markers, a subsidiary seconds dial at 6 o’clock, and rose gold hands. The timepiece is housed in a 14 carat yellow gold full hunter case with moss guilloché engraving, a polished hinged protective front cover, a fluted winding crown, and a sturdy round suspension bow.
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Diameter: 54 mm
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Signed: Franz Girscher
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Franz Girscher was not a manufacturer of watch movements, but a watchmaker and jeweller (retailer) active in Central Europe around 1900.
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During that period, it was extremely common practice for respected local watch dealers (Uhrmacher or Chronometermacher) to import high-quality, unsigned movements (ébauches) and luxury cases directly from Switzerland. They adjusted the watches in their own workshop, checked the quality, and subsequently had their own name printed on the dial as a hallmark and local marketing tool.
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The technical construction of this specific watch (including the lever escapement with jewel grips and the central screwed chaton) immediately reveals its Swiss origin. The signature proves that the movement was produced specifically at the time, on commission from, or for, Franz Girscher’s firm, to be sold to his wealthy clientele.