Swiss 18K yellow gold full hunter pocket watch Circa 1880

Gold hunting cased keyless lever watch
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A fine Swiss 18 carat yellow gold full hunter pocket watch retailed by J R Losada London, circa 1880. It has a mechanical crown winding movement with a lever escapement, signed and numbered on the movement. The smooth white enamel dial features black Roman numerals for the hours, a fine outer minute track, a subsidiary seconds dial at 6 o’clock, blued steel Fleur de Lys hands, and is signed J.R. Losada, 105 Regent St, London. The timepiece is housed in a substantial round three body, 18 carat solid yellow gold full hunter case. The case has a spring hinged front cover decorated with an engine turned pattern centring a smooth circular vacant cartouche. It also has a matching engine turned reverse back cover, a delicately fluted caseband, a fluted winding crown, a sturdy round suspension bow, and a smooth, plain, polished 18 carat gold inner protective cuvette.
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Diameter: 50 mm
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Weight: 101 g
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Signed: J.R. Losada London
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José Rodríguez Losada was the most celebrated Spanish watchmaker of the nineteenth century who operated a legendary luxury boutique in Great Britain. Born in Iruela, Spain, in 1797, Losada fled his home country because of his liberal political activities during the reign of Ferdinand VII. He settled as an exile in London around 1835. He opened a magnificent flagship establishment on the prestigious Regent Street, moving to the famous 281 address in 1853. There he achieved monumental success by positioning himself as the primary conduit of high precision horology for the Spanish and Latin American royal courts and aristocratic elites. While his London workshops built and assembled standard marine chronometers and clock movements, Losada acted primarily as an elite retailer for his ultra luxury pocket watches. He sourced flawless raw mechanisms and exquisitely decorated gold cases from the finest master craftsmen in Switzerland before applying his own highly respected London signature and sequential serial numbers. Celebrated globally for his meticulous quality standards and monumental public clocks, including the historic clock tower in the Puerta del Sol in Madrid, surviving timepieces retailed under Losada’s name are highly coveted historical artefacts that showcase the height of nineteenth century cross border luxury horology.