Swiss mystery watch in a silver double sided case Circa 1890

Silver mystery watch by Armand Schwob & Frère
–
A rare Swiss pocket watch, Montre mystérieuse, with hands moved by rotating glass discs, circa 1890. The case is silver decorated and features glazing on both sides. The rotating glass discs display the time in a mysterious manner, with Arabic radial hours and an outer minute track with Arabic five minute numerals and spade hands. The movement is crescent shaped and crafted from gilded brass, incorporating a going barrel, cylinder escapement, mono metallic balance (gilded brass) and blued steel flat hairspring.
–
Diameter: 54 mm
–
Weight: 89 g
–
Signed: A.S. & F. Mystérieuse, Breveté S.G.D.G.
–
Mysterious (clock or watch)
A system patented by Armand Schwob et Frère on January 24th 1889, and used later by Cartier in particular. Inspired by Jean-Eugène Robert-Houdin’s clocks, it uses transparent crystal discs with serrated edges to carry the hands. These wheels are driven by pinions, concealed inside the case frame.
The magician and illusionist Jean-Eugène Robert-Houdin (1805-1871) is considered to be one of the inventors of the mysterious clock whose movement is usually housed in its base.
–
Armand Schwob & Frère was based in La Chaux-de-Fonds at 14 Avenue Leopold Robert. The company was founded on November 1, 1881, and registered on January 27, 1883, as a company to manufacture metal clocks of its own in La Chaux de Fonds. Armand Schwob & Abrabam Schwob, who came from Basel but lived in Paris, owned the company. In Paris, the company was represented with a sales point for watches and jewellery on 19 Boulevard Bonne-Nouvelle.
–
In 1883, she was also represented at the exhibition in Amsterdam and offered brand watches AS & F., but also under the name Patek Cie. On July 9, 1885, an unfortunate discovery was made at the Antwerp World’s Fair. The jury, accompanied by Adrien Philippe, stepped forward to examine the shop window of Armand Schwob & Frère. A scandal was triggered by the presence of a pocket watch with the serial number 26291 and the signature Patek & Cie in Geneva. In 1886, a watch was offered for repair at Patek Philippe. But it was again a watch with the initials AS & F. A final proof surfaced in the year 1890 with the testimony of Georges Roulet. He said he had already engraved the name Pateck & Cie, Geneva, at the formal written request of Armand Schwob & Frère.
–
The Schwob company was then sued for infringement of naming rights and convicted in 1890. The company had to pay 15,000 francs in addition to a ban on using the name Pateck or Patek. In the trial, a witness reported that Schwob had been doing it for 50 years (i.e. 1833). They would use the name Patek Cie for their watches (see also: Pateck ). This conviction was published in five newspapers voted for by Patek Philippe & Cie and added all legal costs. The firm was declared bankrupt in Paris and La Chaux de Fonds in 1892.