Swiss 18 carat gold quarter repeater watch Circa 1870

Very fine quality lever pocket watch
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A very fine quality gold pocket watch with quarter repeater, made by Louis Benjamin Audemars in Brassus and Genève,  Switzerland, circa 1870. This watch features an à goutte (waterdrop shaped) 18 carat gold case with a monogram on the back lid. The white enamel dial features an outer minute and hour track with Arabic 5 minute – and Roman hour numerals, a subsidiary seconds dial at 6 o’clock and gold spade style hands. The movement is equipped with a very fine precision lever escapement, special winding wheels and a quarter repeater.
The cuvette is signed.
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Diameter: 48 mm
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Weight: 95 g
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Signed: Audemars Brassus et Genève
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Louis Benjamin Audemars
Around 1870, the watchmaking firm Louis Audemars & Cie (the original company founded by Louis Benjamin Audemars in 1811) signed its finest watches with “Brassus & Genève” to showcase both where the watches were meticulously made and where they were commercially finished and sold.

One of the reasons for this dual signature was to communicate Dual Manufacturing and Commercial Presence:

• Le Brassus (The Origin): The company’s primary workshops and heritage were rooted in Le Brassus, a small village in the Vallée de Joux. This region was world famous for producing the highest quality, raw mechanical movements (ébauches) and complex horological complications.
• Genève (The Capital of Haute Horlogerie): Geneva was the global commercial epicenter for luxury timepieces. To stay highly competitive, Louis Audemars & Cie established a significant business presence and final casing/finishing operations in Geneva.