Swiss 18K gold hunting cased anker chronometer Circa 1921

Gold limited edition keyless lever watch
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A Swiss 18 carat yellow gold hunting cased limited edition, keyless winding, Observatory pocket watch made by Omega, circa 1921. The rhodium plated movement is marked Grade Very Best, has 23 jewels, a going barrel with safety pinion, gold train of wheels, gold screwed chatons, an equilibrated straight line lever escapement, cut bimetallic compensated balance with gold poising screws and blued steel Breguet hairspring, an index regulator with swan neck spring and a precision regulating device for fast/slow using an eccentric snail, adjusted to 6 positions and temperatures.

White enamel dial with Breguet style hour numerals, outer minute divisions, a sunk center, subsidiary seconds at 6 o’clock and original blued hands. A polished, round shaped case, the back engraved in taille douce (fine cut) and monogrammed GH. 

Dial signed Ω Omega Chronomètre Importé de Suisse, cuvette signed Omega Chronomètre, the movement numbered and signed Omega Watch Co Grade Very Best made in Switzerland. Accompanied by the original fitted presentation box and a Bulletin de Marche (Watch rate certificate) from the Bureau Officiel de Contrôle de la Marche des Montres from Bienne/Biel, dated November 30, 1936.
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Diameter: 52 mm
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Signed: Omega Watch Co Grade Very Best
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The model Grade Very Best is an Omega rarity, it was made in a series of just 300 pieces.
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Caliber 43.15 S, Grade Very Best
The Grade Very Best replaced the DDR as Omega’s highest quality chronometer movement in July 1922. This caliber was made in 600 examples: 300 Lépine movements for open faced and 300 movements for hunting cased pocket watches. The term Very Best was trademarked by Omega for dials, cases and movements in 1904. 

In 1929, the present watch cost CHF 1.085. By way of comparison, that same year, Tiffany & Co. sold a Patek Philippe minute repeating perpetual calendar pocket watch with moon phases, split seconds chronograph and 30 minute counter for CHF 2.835 and a standard 18 carat gold hunting cased pocket watch with a 20’’’ movement could be bought for CHF 385. Thus this watch cost nearly 40% more as a highly complicated timepiece by Patek Philippe and over four times more as other company’s standard production due to the cost of manufacturing such a high precision movement. Precision movements are made to much smaller mechanical tolerances than standard watch movements and often take as long to manufacture and regulate as complicated movements. Precision watches were also prized possessions, usually reserved for the manufacturer’s best clients.