Swiss rare pocket watch with digital time display Circa 1880

Gold Pallweber watch by Cortebert Watch Co.
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A rare Swiss hunting cased pocket watch with digital time display after Pallweber’s patent, circa 1880. This watch features a polished 14 carat gold case. The gold cuvette is engine turned and engraved with the technical details. Its white enamel dial is signed Manufacture de Cortébert, and has a window for digital indication of the hours and minutes with auxiliary seconds below. The watch is equipped with a frosted gilt ½ plate movement, has a screw compensation balance, is signed by the watchmaker and inscribed Brevete S.G.D.G.
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Diameter: 50 mm
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Weight: 98 g
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Signed: Cortébert Watch & Co.
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Cortébert Watch Co. was originally founded in Sonvilier by Adam-Louis Juillard as Raiguel Juillard et Cie. in 1790 to produce rough movements. In 1876, the company moved to Cortébert and was renamed Cortébert Watch Co. to reflect its new location. Around 1890, the company started producing complete pocket and wristwatches. In 1927, the company became affiliated with Ébauches SA. Abraham-Louis was the father of Lucien Juillard (1803-1868).
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Josef Pallweber was an Austrian engineer from Salzburg. His registered residence changed several times within the German Empire, from Furtwangen via Frankfurt am Main to Mannheim. The company name, Josef Pallweber & Sohn, was also known in Austria. He is considered the inventor of watches with jumping numerals, also called Pallweber watches, for which he filed a patent in Salzburg in 1883 at age 25.

Pallweber invented the digital time display showing jump hours and minutes for pocket watches with numbers on rotating discs next to the classic hands. Digits indicating the correct hour and minutes were revealed through two apertures on the dial, the seconds were still shown through a small hand on a subsidiary dial.

In the late 19th century, many watch manufacturers had the so-called jump hour watches in their range, among them renowned makers such as A. Lange & Söhne in Glashütte, Germany. However, one of the most prolific producers of this type of watch was the International Watch Company Schaffhausen (IWC).

After granting his patent to the International Watch Company Schaffhausen, Josef Pallweber subsequently licensed his mechanism to display the time in a digital format to other Swiss watch companies, such as Cortébert and Gédéon Thommen, for the French and Belgian markets.