Swiss silver chronograph with retrograde counter Circa 1890

Silver chronograph with open-face by Stauffer, Son & Co.
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An extremely rare Swiss chronograph with retrograde counter, circa 1890. Solid silver case with serial number and dust cover labelled Frampton & Co. Newcastle on Tyne. Perfectly preserved enamel dial with Roman radial hours, outer minutes/seconds track with Arabic five minutes/seconds numerals, subsidiary dial for the seconds, retrograde counter, and spade hands. Extremely fine chronograph movement with patent number 4821 from George Nicolet.
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Diameter: 51 mm
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Weight: 120 g
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Signed: Stauffer & Co. La Chaux de Fonds
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Stauffer, Son & Co., Swiss watch manufacturer and English import company
Stauffer, Fils & Cie. was founded around 1830 by Robert Stauffer. The company was originally based in La Chaux-de-Fonds at 29 rue de la Paix. Stauffer, Son & Co. was founded in 1857 by Jules Stauffer and Francis Claude, the founder’s son. The company was based in England at 12 Old Jewry Chambers, London. The company’s name was originally Stauffer & Co., an importer of Swiss watches. In La Chaux-de-Fonds, the office was located at 52 Avenue Léopold Robert. The company aims to import watches made in Switzerland to London. After the death of Jules Stauffer in 1884A partnership followed between Francis Claude Francis and Charles Nicolet-Sandoz (1856-1944), a Swiss who came to London as early as the 1870s after attending the La Chaux-de-Fonds watchmaking school for three years. After Francis Claude retired, Charles Nicolet took over the company’s management in London and La Chaux-de-Fonds. The company was renamed Nicolet Fils & Cie. Around 1920, the company was also listed as Atlas Watch Co. The name Stauffer, Son & Co. or Stauffer, Fils & Cie. was retained. The company used IWC Ébauches for some series of watches.