Swiss 18 Carat gold chronometer five minute repeater Circa 1880

Extremely rare top quality lever chronometer
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An extremely rare, fine and top quality Geneva lever chronometer with five minute repeater in sales box from a Berlin watch dealer made by Henry Capt in Genève, Switzerland, circa 1880. The numbered plain open faced case of this watch was crafted from 18 Carat gold in the shape of a water drop and is inscribed “Chronometre repetition 5 minutes”. The white enamel dial has Arabic five minute and Roman hour numerals, a subsidiary seconds dial at six o’clock with Arabic numerals and blued steel hands. The glazed and top quality movement is numbered, has a precision lever escapement and a very rare five minute repeater.
Dial, case, movement and sales box are signed and case and movement have matching numbers.
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Diameter: 51 mm
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Weight: 109 g
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Signed: Henry Capt, Genève (watch); Frank Völkel, Uhrmacher, Berlin (sales box)
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Genuine Henry Capt “chronometers” with additional complication are extremely rare. The watch was cleaned and overhauled in 2022.
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Henry Capt
HENRY CAPT was an important and highly esteemed firm, originally established by Henry Daniel Capt (1773- 1843). In 1844 the firm was taken over by Henry’s son Henri Capt at Fusterie 85. In 1851 it moved to 174 rue du Rhône. In the late 1870’s the firm was bought by Gallopin. In 1878-9, the Henri Capt firm won the first prize at the Geneva Observatory. In 1882 they received another first prize for a watch with a palladium balance spring, the first prize recorded as having been awarded for a watch with such a spring. He was the first Swiss maker to compete in the Kew Observatory Contests.