Swiss silver square Art Nouveau watch with lever escapement Circa 1900

Very rare square pocket watch with a horse race relief
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A very rare square Art Nouveau pocket watch, made by Omega SA in Biel, Switzerland, circa 1900. The numbered open faced case of this watch was crafted from silver and a back lid with a relief depicting a horse race. The white enamel dial has Roman hour numerals, a subsidiary seconds dial at 6 o’clock and blued steel hands. The movement has a gilt Omega lever escapement.
The cuvette has Grand Prix Paris 1900 medals engraved and the dial, cuvette and back lid relief are signed.
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Dimensions: 49 x 49 mm
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Weight: 80 g
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Signed: Ω, Omega (dial and cuvette)
              Huguenin Frères (back lid relief)
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Huguenin
In 1868, the young engraver Fritz Huguenin and his brother Guillocheur Albert set up a small watchcase design workshop. It wasn’t long before they realised the value that embossing could add to their work. They therefore bought a spindle press, which they used to emboss their first medal in 1888.

Over time, the Huguenin brothers specialised in the Niel method, which is used to give silver watches a black finish. This method made them famous worldwide and as a result of their new found success, they switched from manual production to industrial production in 1899, building the factory in Le Locle that is still used today. At the same time, their three sons took over the company, expanding the range with new products, such as marksmen decorations. The company was hit hard by the First World War and by the financial crisis of the 1930s, which saw silver pocket watches replaced by stainless steel wristwatches. As a result, it became a limited company in 1934 and in the years that followed, Huguenin Frères et Cie SA enjoyed considerable growth in the fields of watch cases and medals.

To mark its centenary year in 1968, the company was given a new name. Led by a member of the third generation of the Huguenin family, the revived Huguenin Médailleurs SA entered its second century with renewed confidence and verve.