Unusual Swiss 18K yellow gold lever pocket watch Circa 1880

Gold watch with double train centre seconds
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A very fine and unusual Swiss 18K yellow gold hunting cased two-train independent centre seconds keyless lever pocket watch with 1/5th second foudroyant and stop feature, circa 1880. Retailed by Tiffany & Co, New York. Engine-turned case, reeded band. Hinged gold cuvette. White enamel dial with radial Roman numerals, outer minute track and outermost 1/5th seconds track with Arabic five-second numerals, subsidiary dial for the 1/5th second diablotine and blued steel Breguet hands.

Nickel-plated silver movement, Geneva striping decoration, double train with differential winding and gold wheel train, 32 jewels, straight-line counterpoised and calibrated lever escapement, cut bimetallic compensation balance, blued steel Breguet balance spring, index regulator, independent train with push-button on the band to stop the centre seconds and diablotine hands. Cuvette and movement signed.
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Diameter: 54 mm
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Signed: Poitevin Genève
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The feature known as a diablotine is a small subsidiary dial on a chronograph or independent centre seconds pocket watch, the hand of which moves in a jumping manner at intervals of 1/4 or 1/5th of a second. The term literally means ‘little devil’. The diablotine is halted when the chronograph or centre seconds is stopped and the fractions of a second can be read.