Swiss gold hunter case watch with perpetual calendar Circa 1867

Pocket watch with retrograde date and moon phase
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A highly interesting gold hunter case watch with perpetual calendar, retrograde date and moon phase, made by Rossel & Fils, Succ^RS de JF Bautte & C^ie in Genève, Switzerland, circa 1867. The full hunter water drop shaped (à goutte) and numbered case is crafted from 18 Carat gold. Its back is decorated with a raised noble coat of arms, an exceptional piece of casework as it is not screwed on or attached as usual, but worked into the case with a noble crown that has nine prongs. The back of the case is engraved with a monogram.
The white enamel dial has Roman numerals for the hours and two subsidiary dials at four and eight o’clock for the months and the seconds respectively and blued steel hands. The movement has a very fine anchor chronometer escapement with Wolf’s teeth, a special compensating lever and a very early version of a perpetual calendar with retrograde date and moon phase.
The dust cover is signed and numbered.
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Diameter: 50 mm
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Weight: 105 g
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Signed: Rossel & Fils, Succ^RS de JF Bautte & C^ie, Genève
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These early perpetual calendars are rarities although there are also almost identical Patek Philippe watches, dated 1867.
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Jean-François Bautte

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.