Swiss gold complicated astronomical lever watch Circa 1900

Gold watch with six complications by Le Phare
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A heavy Swiss astronomical 14 carat gold hunting cased quarter repeating pocket watch with triple calendar, moon phases and chronograph, circa 1900.
White enamel dial with Roman hours, an outer minute track, Arabic five minute/second numerals, outermost fifth of a second divisions, a subsidiary dial for the constant seconds with concentric phases of the moon at 6 o’clock, the date at 12,  two small apertures for the digital indication of the weekdays and months, original gold Louis XV style hands. A polished case, signed and numbered cuvette. Glazed gilt lever movement with fine adjustment.
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Diameter: 57 mm
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Weight: 135 g
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Signed: Le Phare
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Le Phare. The company was originally founded by Charles Barbezat-Baillot (1847-1938) and Henry Guye (1838-1877) under the name Guye & Barbezat in Le Locle, Switzerland, high in the Neuchâtel mountains. In 1888, the firm’s name was changed to Le Phare, being the registered name of their complicated watches.

The company, which later launched the Jean d’Eve watch range, has left its mark on the story of Swiss watchmaking. Indeed, from 1889, its watches were rewarded by the most eminent prizes, a gold medal at the National Exhibition of 1896 in Geneva followed that of 1889 at the Great Universal Exhibition in Paris. In 1897 the silent regulator was invented. A veritable technological marvel that overcame the humming problems beset the repeater watches of the day. This brought another gold medal for Le Phare at the Paris Great Exhibition of 1900.

In 1900, the company advertised their brands that year as La Locloise, l’Esperanto, Le Phare, Tempora and La Volapuk. The company continued to develop and in 1970 was the second largest producer of chronograph watches in Switzerland. The management’s strategy is to maximise its remarkable know-how to develop new ways of measuring time.