Swiss exquisite 18K gold and enamel pocket watch Circa 1880

Exquisite gold andenamel pocket watch
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An 18 Carat red gold enamelled pocket watch created by J. Rossel & Fils, Successors to Bautte & Cie, in Genève, Switzerland, circa 1880. The open faced case features a noble coat of arms in enamelled detail on the back. The white enamel dial has an inner ring with Roman numerals for the hours, an outer ring with Arabic numerals for the minutes, a subsidiary dial at 6 o’clock with Arabic numbers indicating the seconds and filigree steel hands. The movement features a Geneva anchor chronometer escapement with a particularly large balance wheel and wolf’s teeth.
The dust cover has been signed and numbered
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Diameter: 47 mm
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Weight: 82 g
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Signed: Rossel & Fils, Succ^R. de JF Bautte & Ci^e, Genève
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Jean-François Bautte (1772-1837) was the most distinguished watchmaker and retailer in Geneva of his time. Shortly after his death in 1837, Bautte’s son Jacques Bautte and son in law Jean-Samuel Rossel formed the company Jean-François Bautte & Cie, a retailer of timepieces and jewellery. From 1855 on the company traded as Rossel-Bautte & Cie, and from 1860 on as Rossel & Fils. In 1906 the company was taken over by Constant Girard-Gallet, the owner of Swiss watch manufacturer Girard-Perregaux in La Chaux-de-Fonds. The Girard-Perregaux Museum in La Chaux-de-Fonds owns several creations from the house of Bautte.