Swiss rare gilt five minute repeating automaton Circa 1987

Gilt open faced keyless lever watch
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A fine and rare Swiss gilt open faced five minute repeating pocket watch with automaton made by Kelek & Chronoswiss, circa 1987. This watch has a mechanical crown winding manual movement with a lever escapement and a five minute repeater mechanism on two gongs activated by a lateral pusher at 4 o’clock. It features a beautifully finished perlage mainplate with visible winding wheels and a traditional balance assembly. The face has a small central white enamel dial for time display with elegant black Arabic numerals for the hours, outer minute divisions and blued steel Breguet hands. It is flanked by applied gold Jacquemart figurines on a dark blue enamelled ground showing a woman playing the harp and an automaton male figure striking a bell.
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This timepiece is housed in a polished gilded steel case with an elaborately engine turned back cover decorated with a central engraved flower stem within a rich floral border, a fluted winding crown and a sturdy round suspension bow.
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Diameter: 48 mm
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Signed: Kelek Chronoswiss Swiss Made
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Kelek SA was a Swiss watch manufacturer founded in 1896 in La Chaux-de-Fonds, Switzerland, known for mechanical complications, chronographs and pocket watch movements.
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Initially, the company manufactured complicated watches, such as chronographs, primarily for the military. Later, they specialized in complex mechanical complications such as repeaters and automatons.
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In the 1960s, director and master watchmaker Gabriel Feuvrier met Willy Breitling, leading to a close collaboration. This partnership intensified over the following years, and Kelek played a key role in developing various complications for Breitling.
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In 1997, Kelek merged into Breitling, from 2002 onwards, operating under the name Breitling Chronométrie.
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Prior to this, there had already been a collaboration with the manufacturer Chronoswiss founded by Gerd-Rüdiger Lang in 1983 in Munich. A successful German-Swiss co-branding from the 1980s and 1990s. By joining forces, Chronoswiss brought extremely rare and complex masterpieces to market, recognisable by the shared signature on the dial.