Swiss pocket watch made for the world exhibition Circa 1912

Silvered open faced pocket watch by Fritz Edouard Roskopf
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A Swiss pompous gentleman’s pocket watch made for the world exhibition, circa 1912. The watch was made to commemorate the introduction of the universal time in Belgium in 1892, L’Heure Nationale Belge.
Enamel dial with radial Roman hours, auxiliary seconds, 24h indicator, Louis XV hands, and signed Patent Swiss 18632. Frosted, gilt 2/3 plate movement with engraving Exposition Universelle 1900 Montre Primée à Paris, side lever escapement, three-arm ring balance, and also signed Patent Swiss 18632. Silvered case, the back cover with an engraved and chased coat of arms and names of the federal states in Belgium; bezel with chased lettering: L’Heure Nationale Belge, the dome with chased decor and engraved world exhibition location and dates: Exposition Universelles Paris 1900, Liege 1905, Milan 1906.
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Diameter: 54 mm
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Weight: 132 g
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Signed: Fritz Edouard Roskopf, L’Heure Nationale Belge
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Roskopf watches are usually considered to be mass-produced low-priced watches. There are, however, exceptions. This watch stands out because of its lavishly hand-engraved case that shows extreme attention to detail. The movement too is distinctive in that the quality of the workmanship is much higher than in the rest of the series. All surfaces are very finely granulated and gilded, the screws and other steel parts are either mirror-polished or smoothed.
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Roskopf, Fritz Edouard
Fritz Edouard Roskopf was born in La Chaux de Fonds on December 13, 1835 and died in 1927. In 1855 he and his father Georg Friedrich Roskopf established the company ROSKOPF, GINDRAUX & Co. together with Henry Gindraux. Two years later he left the company and started his own business in Geneva. After the death of his father, Roskopf began making his own watches and registered the thistle as his mark in 1897. On January 3, 1899, Roskopf received patent CH 18632 for a mechanism that allowed setting the hands with the crown. His watches were produced by the Reconvilier Watch Co. SA and signed F.E. Roskopf & Co.