Swiss hunting cased watch with perpetual calendar Circa 1910

Gold pocket watch with minute repeater
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An important heavy gold hunting cased pocket watch with perpetual calendar and minute repeater made by Audemars Frères in Le Brassus and Genève, Switzerland, circa 1910. Crafted from 18 carat gold the full hunter case in the shape of a water drop has engine turned decoration, the maker’s mark AL and is numbered. The dust cover is engraved with Horlogers de sa majesté l’empereur de Russie (Watchmakers to His Majesty the Emperor of Russia), the medals and number obtained.
The white enamel dial has black Roman numerals for the hours, a perpetual calendar, moon phases and the age of the moon, a minute repeater and hands made of gold and blued steel. The movement has a precision lever escapement of the very finest Geneva quality, matching numbers with the case, a very rare fine adjustment, Geneva striping and wolf’s teeth.
Dial, dust cover and movement signed.
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Diameter: 57 mm
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Weight: 160 g
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Signed: Audemars Frères, Brassus & Genève
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This Geneva hunting cased pocket watch of the finest quality has a total of seven complications, was auctioned in Geneva in 2003 and fetched 32.200 Swiss francs. It comes from one of the most important Swiss manufacturers, the successor to Louis Audemars.
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Audemars Frères in Geneva and (Le) Brassus
After the bankruptcy of the company Louis Audemars & Fils in 1885, where Charles Henri Audemars was senior director, Charles Henri’s two sons, Hector Adolphe Audemars and Charles Henri Audemars Junior, founded the company Audemars Frères in Geneva and (Le) Brassus. They continued the business very successfully and became the court watchmaker of the Russian tsar.
Two other companies that were formed after the bankruptcy were:

• François Audemars Fils, founded by the elder brother, François.  His watches are rare and said to be good quality but his business collapsed before the end of the 19th century.
• Louis Audemars & Cie, founded by a cousin Louis Audemars-Valette. His watches were good quality to begin with but declined in quality until he closed his company in about 1900.