Swiss 14 Carat gold Art Deco Chinoiserie dress watch Circa 1927

Gold, lacquered and mother of pearl lever watch by Longines
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A very fine and rare Swiss 14 Carat gold, lacquered and mother of pearl Art Deco Chinoiserie dress watch with matching gold chain, circa 1927. Bridge movement, a club tooth lever escapement and a screw compensation balance. A gold cuvette with dedication engraving From Rose To Otto With Love Xmas 1935. Gilt dial with black Arabic hours, an outer minute track and central painted polychrome enamel dragon. The case back is exquisitely chased and engraved and in parts painted with red lacquer, the different types of surface refinement create the three dimensional image of a Chinese dragon with a bright blue pearl in its claw, writhing in the clouds, maker’s mark AW for Albert Wittnauer & Cie SA.
Dial signed, movement signed and numbered, case numbered. Comes with the original presentation box. According to the enclosed Longines Extract from the Archives this timepiece was invoiced on November 15th, 1928 to A. Wittnauer Co, which was at that time the Longines agent for the USA.
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Diameter: 43 mm
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Weight: 53 g
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Signed: Longines Watch Co Swiss
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This fine Chinoiserie dress watch dating from the late 1920’s has been superbly designed and executed. The vibrant ornamentation is breathtaking.
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Compagnie des Montres Longines, Francillon S.A. or simply Longines is a Swiss luxury watchmaker based in Saint-Imier, Switzerland. Founded by Auguste Agassiz in 1832. Auguste had two partners, lawyers Henri Raiguel and Florian Morel. The company’s original name was Raiguel Jeune & Cie. By 1846, Raigeul and Morel had retired from the watchmaking industry, leaving Agassiz as the sole head of the company. Several years later, Agassiz brought his nephew, trained economist Ernest Francillon, into the business. Francillon was the mastermind behind several impressive innovations that would distinguish the company from its competitors. Later, when Agassiz started suffering from ill health, he passed leadership to Francillon.

Under Francillon, the company began segueing out of the établissage system and moved towards more modern production methods. Francillon solidified his firm’s progression to mass production in 1867 by establishing his first factory in southern St. Imier known locally as Les Longines (long meadows), which gave rise to the Longines name. To help his efforts to improve the production at Longines further, Francillon brought on Jacques David, a talented engineer. He appointed him as Technical Director and put him in charge of the new factory. Francillon sent Jacques David to the 1876 World’s Fair in Philadelphia to gather new ideas and strategies from American watchmakers. Upon returning, David wrote a 108 page report detailing what he learned during his trip. The report is considered one of the most significant documents in watchmaking history, detailing the inner workings of American watch factories. In his analysis, David concluded the Swiss watchmaking industry needed to change significantly to keep pace with its American competitors.

In 1878, Longines developed its first chronograph movement, the 20H, a mono pusher chronograph, in which all three chronograph functions (start, stop and reset) were controlled through the crown. With this movement, Longines could produce stopwatches suitable for precise timing in professional events. By 1880, Longines was known for the quality and precision of its timepieces, that year Francillon trademarked the Longines name and its winged hourglass logo in 1889. It is the oldest unchanged active trademark registered with the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO). By 1886, Longines had established itself as a primary supplier of timing equipment for most New York sporting officials. The company has been a subsidiary of the Swiss Swatch Group and its predecessors since 1983.