Swiss silver enamel watch for the Chinese market Circa 1895

Rare pocket watch studded with half-pearls by J. Ullmann & Co.
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A rare Swiss pocket watch studded with half-pearls for the Chinese market, circa 1895.
Silver case, engine-turned and translucent red enamelled, with case maker’s punch mark  ​”LG” and half pearls set on the bezels; the front cover with a portrait of a lady in period costume; the back lid with a centred polychrome enamelled cartouche depicting a river landscape with a swimming swan within a border of flowers.
Signed “Patent Lever” enamel dial with radial Roman hours, auxiliary seconds and blued hands. 3/4 plate movement, keywind, frosted, gilt and signed, with chain/fusee, side lever escapement, “Patent Lever“, and three-arm ring balance.
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Diameter: 46 mm
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Weight: 79 g
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Signed: J. Ullmann & Co. Hong Kong
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Ullmann & Co. was founded around 1880 by Jacques Ullmann in Fleurier with an office and factory in La Chaux-de-Fonds, the Jack Watch Factory(1905). There were branches in Hong Kong, Shanghai, Tientsin, Paris and, for a short time, in Vladivostock. The distribution centre for the Asian market was in Hong Kong at Queens Road No. 74. In Shanghai, there was an office in Nanking Road 564 and in Tientsin in the Rue de France in the French Concession. E. Bernheim was the manager of the Hong Kong office and lived at 19 Belilios Terrace. Assistant Manager was Gustav Koenig at Queen’s Road Central. In Shanghai the manager B. Bernheim and G. Gebsburger was his assistant. There were also shops in the rest of the main oriental cities.

Jacques Ullmann worked with Edouard Juvet, among others, he also purchased watches from John Barwise, Tavannes Watch Co., 8-day watches from Schild & Co., chronographs and repeater hammer watches from various manufacturers for the Asian market. Jacques Ullmann’s stores in Paris and Vladivostok showed a side of Chinese clocks that we sometimes forget. These Chinese watches were also sold in Arabia, Russia, Singapore, South America, and Algeria. Although his main customers are Chinese, these Chinese watches have also enjoyed international success. Jacques Ullmann became very wealthy and wealthy by trading in the Asian market. The Ullmann company bought the Bovet company in 1918. In 1932Jacques Ullmann’s successors withdrew from the business and the name Bovet was acquired by Albert Bovet and Jean Bovet. They registered several patents for chronographs, such as a mono chronograph movement “rattrapante”. The name Jack Watch Co. was used by the watch company founded by Louis Grisel in La Chaux-de-Fonds.