Swiss gold astronomical pocket watch with moon phases Circa 1850

Hunting cased watch with horological complications by Eugène LeCoultre
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A fine and very rare, key winding, Swiss yellow gold hunter cased watch with moon phases, equation of time and triple calendar, circa 1850-1860. Retailed by H. Moser & Co., Le Locle & Schaffhausen.
This watch has six horological complications: – Instantaneous triple calendar à guichets (with apertures) – Date of the month (subsidiary dial at 8 o’clock) – Day of the week (aperture at 11 o’clock; indications given in French) – Month of the year (exterior graduation with the central hand; indications given in French) – Phases of the moon (aperture at 1 o’clock) – Sector type equation of time (exterior graduation with central gold solar time minutes hand).
Round shaped 18 Carat yellow gold hunting case. Guilloché engine turned cover and case back; fluted case band with slide button for the regulation of the balance between 10 and 11 o’clock. Enamel dial with Roman radial hours, outer minutes/seconds track with Arabic five minutes/seconds numerals, subsidiary seconds at 4 and blued steel hands. Gilded brass movement with going barrel, straight line equilibrated lever escapement, compensated balance with gold and platinum poising screws and blued steel hairspring with a terminal curve.
The movement and cuvette are signed
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Diameter: 53 mm
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Signed: Eugène LeCoultre (movement)

             H. Moser & Co (cuvette)

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Eugène LeCoultre (1819–1882) operated his own independent workshop and firm in Geneva, famously known as Eugène LeCoultre (Geneva).
While he originated from the Le Chenit region in the Vallée de Joux—the same cradle as the prominent LeCoultre watchmaking dynasty—he did not spend his primary career working inside the main factory floor of LeCoultre & Cie (which later became Jaeger-LeCoultre).
Instead, he was part of a wave of talented horologists who migrated from the Vallée de Joux to metropolitan Geneva. His career highlights include: 

– Independent Firm: He opened his Geneva based complication and precision

  adjustment workshop around 1848.

– Collaboration & Distribution: He maintained close ties with his home valley,

  acting as an agent, distributor, and collaborator alongside Marius LeCoultre in Geneva. 

– Renowned Success: His independent Geneva firm was highly esteemed,

  winning First Prize at the prestigious Geneva Astronomical Observatory timing contest

  in 1880 and 1881, outpacing major rivals and earning historical recognition.