Swiss silver ‘Mysterieuse’ glazed pocket watch Circa 1890

Pocket watch with crescent shaped movement
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An unusual pocket watch ‘Mysterieuse’, made by Armand Schwob & Frères in La Chaux-de-Fonds, Switzerland, circa  1890. The case of this watch was crafted from silver, is glazed on both sides so that you can look through the watch without seeing a movement and the hands driven by rotating discs. The crescent shaped movement is located directly under the crown in the concealed area.
Signed on the back.
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Diameter: 54 mm
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Weight: 100 g
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Signed: Mysterieuse
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Armand Schwob & Frères
The manufacturer Armand Schwob & Frères in La Chaux-de-Fonds brought this curious pocket watch onto the market around 1888 and had it patented under the name ‘Mysterieuse’. Almost all examples had silver cases. Only a few were made in gold for special customers.

The item presented here  was delivered to Cuba, as the small owner engraving in the cartouche reveals. As the company Armand Schwob & Frères went bankrupt in 1892, these watches were only produced for a period of 3 years and are therefore very rare.