Swiss silver pocket watch with dual time zones Circa 1880

Very rare pocket watch for the Chinese market
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A highly unusual double sided pocket watch, created around 1880 for the Chinese market by J. Ullmann & Co. in La Chaux-de-Fonds, Switzerland and retailed through their Shanghai based distribution and service network, Wulìwén (烏利文).

The watch features a plain silver case. On the front, a glazed white enamel dial in the European style features an outer track for minutes and hours, with Arabic numerals marking five minute intervals and Roman numerals indicating the hours, a subsidiary seconds dial at 6 o’clock and elegant gold hands. The reverse side reveals a second glazed white enamel dial, designed for the Chinese market, with an outer minutes and hours track marked in Chinese numerals and fitted with matching gold hands. Each dial can be set independently, allowing the watch to function across two time zones. The movement is equipped with a lever escapement.
The front dial is signed.
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Diameter: 51 mm
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Weight: 85 g
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Signed: J. Ullmann & Co., Honkong Shanghai, Chaux-de-Fonds
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Ullmann
In the late 19^th century, J. Ullmann & Co. (烏利文) was a prominent Swiss watchmaker and jeweler that specialized in high quality timepieces for the Chinese market. Founded by Jacques Ullmann, the firm established a significant retail presence in Shanghai and became one of the city’s leading distributors of European watches by 1880.
In 1918, J. Ullmann & Co. significantly expanded its influence by purchasing the Bovet brand.
They did not manufacture watches in China, their operations in Shanghai and Hong Kong were strictly focused on retail, distribution and repair. While Ullmann was a major name in the Chinese horological market for decades, the technical production of their watches remained firmly rooted in Europe.

The Shanghai retail business was discontinued in 1929 to focus on wholesale and the entire firm eventually ceased operations around 1932.