Swiss gold minute repeating keyless pocket watch Circa 1905

Gold full hunter watch by Nicolet fils & Cie.
–
A very fine Swiss hunting cased pocket watch with minute repeater, circa 1905. The watch has a sleek 18K rose gold case with the maker’s punch mark CN. The dial is enamel and features Arabic radial hours, an outer minutes track, a subsidiary dial for the seconds, and spade hands. And it has a bridge movement with two hammers / two gongs, lever escapement, and gold screw compensation balance.
–
Diameter: 53 mm
–
Weight: 123 g
–
Signed: Nicolet fils & Cie.
–
Stauffer, Fils & Cie. was established by Robert Stauffer around 1830 in La Chaux-de-Fonds. In 1857, Jules Stauffer, the son of the company founder, along with Francis Claude, opened a London branch named Stauffer, Son & Co. to import Swiss-made watches to London. After Jules Stauffer passed away in 1884, Francis Claude partnered with Charles Nicolet, a Swiss who had attended the watchmaking school in La Chaux-de-Fonds for three years and came to London in the 1870s. Charles Nicolet took over the management of the company in London and La Chaux-de-Fonds after Francis Claude’s retirement.