Swiss gilded silver, enamel and pearl set lever watch Circa 1890

Decorative gilt gentleman’s pocket watch by Tavannes Watch Co.
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A decorative Swiss gilded silver and enamel gentleman’s pocket watch studded with half pearls, circa 1890. The ½ plate movement with a lever escapement and monometallic screw balance. Off-white enamel dial with radial Roman hour numerals in translucent blue enamel sunray cartouches, an outer dot minute track, a subsidiary dial for the seconds at 6 o’clock and spade hands. Both bezels are set with half pearls, the back lid of the case with a polychrome enamel portrait of a lady in a period costume against a translucent blue enamelled background. Dial and movement are signed and the case is numbered.
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Diameter: 48 mm
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Weight: 74 g
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Signed: Tavannes Watch Co.
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Tavannes Watch Co.
Tavannes Watch Co. was founded in 1891 by watchmaker Henri-Frédéric Sandoz form Le Locle, Switzerland, and was named after a small town. 

On November 20th, 1895, Tavannes Watch Co. was mentioned in the Swiss commercial register as manufacturer and retailer of watches, watch parts, cases and packaging with the brands Tavannes Watch Co., La Tavannes, TWCo, Obi, Léna, Azow, Kama and Dvina.

Together with Cyma Watch Co., which emerged with Tavannes Watch Co. in 1896, they made complicated pocket watches using state-of-the-art machines. Sandoz and his partners, brothers Theodore and Abraham Schwob, soon opened up markets around the world, particularly in Canada, Russia, the United States and the Far East.

 In 1899, Tavannes Watch Co. builds a watch case factory at the entrance to the Pichoux Gorge in Undervelier. 1904, the company registers the Cyma Watch Co. trademark. By 1905, 750 employees were producing 450.000 watches a year and production grew very quickly to 750.000 pieces being made by 950 employees in 1909.

Henri-Frédéric Sandoz was a prolific inventor. Between 1889 and 1907, he registered 39 patents for improvement of pocket watches in his own name and 11 more were registered by the Tavannes Watch Co. SA under his direction until his death in 1913.