Swiss pocket watch with dual time zone chronograph Circa 1880

Gold and enamel keyless pocket watch with chronograph
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An extremely fine and very rare, independently adjustable dual time zone, 18 Carat pink gold and enamel keyless pocket watch with chronograph and gold wheel train. Made by Henry Capt, Genève, Circa 1880. Four body, bassine et filets and polished case, the back decorated with the finely painted on enamel coat of arms of the Carafa family beneath a Ducal coronet and the motto ‘Hoc Fac et Vives Sic Nunc Sic Semper’, the interior engraved with the technical details, button in the crown for start stop and return to zero functions of the chronograph and a hinged gold cuvette.
White enamel dial with two independently adjustable meantime dials at 3 o’clock with Arabic numerals, at 9 o’clock with radial Roman numerals, each with outer minute track, outermost fifths of a second chronograph divisions with Arabic five second numerals, concentric chronograph seconds track, subsidiary seconds and blued steel spade hands. Nickel plated movement with Geneva striping decoration, 21 jewels, gold wheel train, counterpoised and calibrated straight-line lever escapement, cut bimetallic compensation balance with gold temperature and meantime adjustment screws, the balance cut far from the arm, Breguet palladium balance spring with over coil, index regulator.
Dial, case and movement signed.
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Diameter: 52 mm.
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Signed: Henry Capt, Genève
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HENRY CAPT An important and highly esteemed firm, originally established by Henry Daniel Capt (1773- 1843). In 1844 the firm was taken over by Henry’s son Henri Capt at Fusterie 85. In 1851 it moved to 174 rue du Rhône. In the late 1870’s the firm was bought by Gallopin. In 1878-9, the Henri Capt firm won the first prize at the Geneva Observatory. In 1882 they received another first prize for a watch with a palladium balance spring, the first prize recorded as having been awarded for a watch with such a spring. He was the first Swiss maker to compete in the Kew Observatory Contests

This very high quality and the unusual watch has provision for displaying the time in two different zones. Each dial is independently adjustable so that both local time and standard time can be set. The adoption of universal time zones had not yet taken place when this watch was made although Greenwich meantime was officially in place as standard time by 1880. The movement of the watch is highly finished and superior quality as one would expect from such a prestigious maker as Henry Capt. The wheel train is made of gold and the balance is cut at a distance from the balance arm to minimise expansion errors (similar in appearance to the balance used later by Guillaume). The palladium balance spring was used by the Capt firm in their best complicated watches. The coat of arms on the present watch is that of the Carafa family of Italy. Their arms also appear on another important watch which is one of the smallest minute repeaters known.