Swiss gunmetal watch with three hand chronograph Circa 1890

Gunmetal open faced large pocket watch
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A rare and possibly one of a kind large Swiss keyless pocket watch with a three hand chronograph and an instantaneous 30-minute register, circa 1890. The watch features an iron case with a gunmetal finish and an enamel dial with Arabic numerals. It includes auxiliary seconds, a Swiss Patent 9974 marking and a 30 minute counter. The blued spade hands add a touch of elegance. The watch’s movement is a 4/5 plate design, decorated and rhodium-plated, with Geneva striping decoration. The chronograph steel parts are finely ground, and the ratchet wheel is included. The chronograph mechanism consists of two sets of three stacked wheels, driven directly from the stack on the fourth wheel pivot via three stacked intermediary wheels engaged when the crown is depressed for each function. The watch also features a large castle wheel with four pillars, each with three steps and a screw compensation balance.
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Remarkable is that it has five hands, all controlled by a single button. Only two of these watches are known to exist. In May 2011, the first watch of its kind with a triple rattrapante was sold at an auction in Switzerland for 28,750 Swiss francs.
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Diameter: 60 mm
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Weight: 148 g
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Signed: P.L. Droz a Brenets