Swiss rare marksman’s watch chronometer with original box Circa 1895

Marksman watch with relief case and original papers
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A rare marksman’s watch, chronometer with original box and papers, made for the Eidgenössisches Schützenfest (Federal shooting festival) of 1895 in Winterthur by Longines in Sant-Imier, Switzerland, circa 1895. The open faced and numbered case has a shooter decoration on the back lid. The cuvette is inscribed with Eidgenössisches Schützenfest, 1895, Winterthur and Ernest Francillon & Co, S^T Imier and shows three gold and seven silver medals. The white enamel dial has pink gold hands and the movement is a very rare Longines chronometer caliber and has a patented fine adjusting device, an anker chronometer escapement and an especially large balance.
The watch comes in a box, also inscribed Eidgenössisches Schützenfest 1895 Winterthur with original papers, a chain and has a number that matches that of the watch.
Dial, cuvette, movement and box are signed.
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Diameter: 53 mm
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Weight: 106 g
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Signed: Longines                
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The box also contains a silver watch chain and a spare glass. It is rare to find these special marksman’s watches in such original condition. They were specially commissioned in small series from renowned manufacturers such as Longines, Omega or Zenith for the shooting festival. The chronometer qualities are particularly wanted.
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Longines
Compagnie des Montres Longines, Francillon S.A. or simply Longines is a Swiss luxury watchmaker based in Saint-Imier, Switzerland. Founded by Auguste Agassiz in 1832. Auguste had two partners, lawyers Henri Raiguel and Florian Morel. The company’s original name was Raiguel Jeune & Cie. By 1846, Raigeul and Morel had retired from the watchmaking industry, leaving Agassiz as the sole head of the company. Several years later, Agassiz brought his nephew, trained economist Ernest Francillon, into the business. Francillon was the mastermind behind several impressive innovations that would distinguish the company from its competitors. Later, when Agassiz started suffering from ill health, he passed leadership to Francillon.
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Under Francillon, the company began segueing out of the établissage system and moved towards more modern production methods. Francillon solidified his firm’s progression to mass production in 1867 by establishing his first factory in southern St. Imier known locally as Les Longines (long meadows), which gave rise to the Longines name. To help his efforts to improve the production at Longines further, Francillon brought on Jacques David, a talented engineer. He appointed him as Technical Director and put him in charge of the new factory. Francillon sent Jacques David to the 1876 World’s Fair in Philadelphia to gather new ideas and strategies from American watchmakers. Upon returning, David wrote a 108 page report detailing what he learned during his trip. The report is considered one of the most significant documents in watchmaking history, detailing the inner workings of American watch factories. In his analysis, David concluded the Swiss watchmaking industry needed to change significantly to keep pace with its American competitors.
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In 1878, Longines developed its first chronograph movement, the 20H, a mono pusher chronograph, in which all three chronograph functions (start, stop and reset) were controlled through the crown. With this movement, Longines could produce stopwatches suitable for precise timing in professional events. By 1880, Longines was known for the quality and precision of its timepieces, that year Francillon trademarked the Longines name and its winged hourglass logo in 1889. It is the oldest unchanged active trademark registered with the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO). By 1886, Longines had established itself as a primary supplier of timing equipment for most New York sporting officials. The company has been a subsidiary of the Swiss Swatch Group and its predecessors since 1983.