Swiss silver marksman’s watch with certificate Circa 1898

Silver watch created for the Federal shooting contest
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A Swiss silver open faced keyless pocket watch, made by Sandoz & Breitmeyer in La Chaux-de-Fonds, circa 1898. Special edition is made for the Federal Shooting Contest of 1898 in Neuchâtel. Case back stamped with a heraldic eagle, head turned to the left, bearing a shield with the chequered arms of Neuchâtel. The eagle holds an oak branch in its talons. Behind the eagle, two flags, the federal and cantonal flags of Neuchâtel, are unfurled from right to left and superposed, made after Fritz Ulysse Landry’s (1842-1927) work, probably stamped by Huguenin Frères, Le Locle. The cuvette is engraved in fine cut with the name J. Bidlingmeyer.
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White enamel dial, with suspended Arabic numerals, subsidiary seconds at 6 and gilded metal Louis XV hands. A gilded brass movement, going barrel, straight line equilibrated lever escapement, cut bimetallic compensated balance with gold poising screws and blued steel hairspring with terminal curve, polished steel index regulator with swan-neck spring and micrometric screw, adjusted by the precision timer régleur James-Antoine Perret, La Chaux-de-Fonds. Signature on the dial and movement.
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Diameter: 55 mm
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Weight: 111 g
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Signed: Sandoz & Breitmeyer, La Chaux-de-Fonds
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Accompanied by the original fitted box, certificate of origin (with on the reverse the Bulletin de Marche).
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Sandoz & Breitmeyer
The watchmaker Sandoz & Breitmeyer (sometimes spelt Bidlingmeyer), founded by Georges Sandoz, a member of the prominent Sandoz family of master watchmakers
and Jules Breitmeyer, was a specialised firm active in La Chaux-de-Fonds, Switzerland, during the late 19^th century. They were one of three successors to the prominent watchmaking firm J. Calame-Robert. The firm is best known for producing high-quality commemorative pocket watches for prestigious Swiss events. A notable example is the silver Schützenuhr (Marksman’s watch) created for the Federal Shooting Contest of 1898 in Neuchâtel, presented here.
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The partnership between George Sandoz and Jules Breitmeyer eventually split on March 31, 1902. And the two resulting businesses closed their activities in 1924 (Sandoz) and 1932 (Breitmeyer).