Swiss deck watch with 52h power reserve indication Circa 1926

Silver open faced deck watch by Paul Ditisheim
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An important, unique Swiss deck watch with 52h power reserve indication and 24h indication, circa 1926. This watch features a sterling silver case with a reeded band and a signed and engraved screw back. It holds the highest records at Kew Teddington and Swiss Observatories. The dial is signed and silvered, displaying radial Arabic 24-hour numerals, auxiliary seconds, power reserve indication of 0-52 hours, and blued spade hands. The movement is a 4/5 plate, chatoned, frosted, gilt movement of type I. It has nine adjustments, 21 jewels, a large Guillaume screw compensation balance, and a sapphire endstone on the balance, lever, and escape wheel. The movement is of calibre type I.
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Diameter: 65 mm
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Weight: 279 g
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Signed: Paul Ditisheim, Solvil Genève, Grand Prix Paris 1900
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Paul Ditisheim (1868-1945) was one of the most famous Swiss makers of watches and chronometers. He conducted most of his research and publications in the field of precision timekeeping. Ditisheim did his apprenticeship at the watchmaking school in La Chaux-de-Fonds before working in Ponts-de-Martel, Berlin, Paris, and Rotherham (near Coventry). In 1892, he opened up a watchmaking factory in La Chaux-de-Fonds.
Ditisheim’s movements were designed for stability and highest precision, making them ideal for competitions. The company entered many competitions, including categories for ship chronometers and pocket chronometers 1st class, according to the Neuchâtel observatory competition terms. So far, only ten watches with this calibre are known. Five of them have 6-digit movement numbers. The numbers 701291 and 703266 reached positionings in Neuchâtel in 1924 and 1925 in the ships’ chronometers category.
The watches with the movement numbers 703393 (with a 24-hour dial), 703446 and 703450 bear the additional signature “Solvil,” indicating that they were made after 1925, when Ditisheim had already handed over to company management, described and illustrated in detail in “Paul Ditisheim Chronometrier” by Fritz von Osterhausen, Editions Antonine Simonin, 2003, pages 60ff.
The only known large observatory deck watch with a 24-hour dial by Paul Ditisheim is one of the watches with the movement number 703393.