Swiss silver purse watch with concealed shuttered dial Circa 1920

Sterling silver purse watch
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A fine and rare sterling silver, black and red lacquer purse watch with concealed shuttered dial, La Captive, made by Tavannes Watch Co. in Bern, Switzerland, circa 1920. The rectangular case has two panels that open by pressing the red lacquered, spring loaded sides to display the dial, which can be tilted and held by the panels, making it a desk clock decorated with black lacquer and silver stripes. The matte silver dial features luminous Arabic hour numerals, an outer minute track and luminous blued steel cathedral hands. The rhodium plated movement with Geneva striping decoration, 15 jewels, straight line lever escapement, cut bimetallic compensation balance with three adjustments, flat balance spring and an index regulator.
Dial, case and movement are signed.
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Dimensions: 46 x 33.5 mm
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Signed: Tavannes Fab. Suisse Swiss
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Tavannes Watch Co. was founded in 1891 by watchmaker Henri-Frédéric Sandoz from Le Locle and was named after a town. Sandoz obtained several Swiss patents to improve pocket watches.

In 1896, Tavannes merged with Cyma and produced complicated watches using the most modern machines. Around 1905, they began developing pocket chronometers with spiral springs made from a nickel steel alloy by Charles Edouard Guillaume. In 1919, a workshop was set up to manufacture pocket and marine chronometers. They also used the marine chronometer developed by Paul Ditisheim with a central second and exchangeable escapement section. The company achieved many successes with its deck watches in the chronometer competitions of the Neuchâtel Observatory. Even before World War I, they began developing wristwatches. 

In 1969, the companies Cyma, Tavannes Watch Co. and DOXA merged to form Synchron AG, to which the Auréole company has belonged since 1972, but Tavannes Watch Co. has been independent again since 2008 and mainly sells watches in the USA.