Swiss 18 carat gold quarter repeating chronograph Circa 1950

Gold full hunter lever pocket watch
–
A Swiss 18 carat yellow gold quarter repeating keyless pocket watch with chronograph, made by Record Watch Co, circa 1950. It features a mechanical quarter repeating movement with platinum components and a lever escapement. The white enamel dial displays Arabic numerals, an outer minute track, a subsidiary seconds dial at 6 o’clock (noted to have some knocks and defects), a central chronograph seconds hand, and Louis XV style hands. The 18 carat gold case is smooth, signed, and numbered.
–
Diameter: 54 mm
–
Weight: 104.5 g
–
Signed: Record Watch Co
–
The Record Watch company was founded in 1903 with the goal of creating a triangular pocket watch featuring a retrograde display. The founders secured the rights to patent 27961 from Giovanni Sgherlino of Turin on April 9, 1903. Within a year, the company employed 250 people, with headquarters in Geneva and additional offices in Tramelan-Dessus, La Chaux-de-Fonds, Les Pommerats, and London. In 1916, Record Watch merged with several firms, including Z. Perrenoud & Cie, Stabilis, and Chatelein Leal & Co. (London), forming the Record Dreadnought Watch Co. SA, which launched a broad range of watches. The company re registered under its original name in 1949. During the 1930s and 40s, Record produced service watches for German and British armed forces. In 1960, a Swiss pocket watch (Cal. 435B) gained initial success in the American railroad watch market. The following year, Longines acquired Record by purchasing its shares, but the Record brand persisted on some watches as Longines Record. Additionally, Record calibres continued to be produced as Longines calibres until manufacturing ceased.