Swiss 18 carat gold full hunter repeater watch Circa 1885

Very fine gold watch with quarter repeater
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A very fine gold full hunter cased watch with repeater, probably made by Audemars Freres, in le Brassus, Switzerland, circa 1885. The numbered à goutte case was crafted from 18 carat gold, has the maker’s mark “AFC” and a monogram on the front lid. The white enamel dial features an outer minutes track with Arabic numerals for the 5 minute intervals, Roman radial hours, a subsidiary seconds dial at 6 o’clock and blued steel spade hands. The movement is fitted with a precision lever escapement and a quarter repeater.
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Diameter: 51 mm
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Weight: 110 g
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Signed: No name
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The item presented here is a fine quality collector’s watch.
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Audemars Frères
Audemars Frères (Audemars Brothers) was a prestigious Swiss watchmaking firm established in 1885 following the bankruptcy of the legendary Louis Audemars & Cie company.

The company was founded by brothers Hector and Charles-Henri Audemars, who were grandsons of the original master watchmaker Louis-Benjamin Audemars. It was the most successful of the three “successor companies” that emerged after the collapse of the original family business. The brothers capitalised on their grandfather’s reputation by using the title “Ancienne Maison Louis Audemars” (Former House of Louis Audemars) on their timepieces.

Unlike many other brands of the era, Audemars Frères maintained a very high standard of quality, specialising in complicated pocket watches featuring minute repeaters, chronographs and perpetual calendars.

The company flourished for roughly 25 years but was forced into liquidation in 1909/1910. This was primarily due to a massive unpaid debt of CHF 150.000 from a Russian distributor who defaulted on payment.