Swiss thin gold minute repeating pocket watch Circa 1920

Gold open faced lever watch by Louis-Elisée Piguet
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A Swiss thin 18 carat gold open faced minute repeating gentleman’s pocket watch, circa 1920. Retailed by Touchon & Co, Switzerland.
Polished case with gold dome and slide for the repeating mechanism. Silver-gilt dial made by Steiger with radial Roman hours, outer minute track, auxiliary seconds at 6 o’clock and blued Breguet hands. Rhodium-plated bridge movement with Geneva Striping decoration, five adjustments, 24 jewels, two hammers, two gongs, a gold chatoned centre wheel and gold screw compensation balance.
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Diameter: 47 mm
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Weight: 56 g
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Signed: Touchon & Co
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This ebauche has the typical ‘straight bridge’ layout of Louis-Elisée Piguet which he supplied to others, among them Jules Jürgensen. It is similar to the ebauches made by Victorin Piguet yet with subtle differences.

Louis-Elisée Piguet was the founder of the still-existing company, Frédéric Piguet SA. Louis-Elisée was apprenticed to Henri Golay of Geneva, the inventor of the modern self-striking watch with minute repeating. Later he worked for Louis Audemars and finally set up his own workshop specializing in complicated mechanisms destined mostly for large retailers such as Patek Philippe, Vacheron Constantin and Jules Jürgensen. The creation of ‘la Merveilleuse’, at the time the most complicated watch in the world, brought him fame lasting till the end of his life and extending beyond his sons who continued in the same tradition and success.
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Touchon & Co. A watch manufacturer founded in 1901 that was first established in Sécheron, later in Petit-Saconnex (districts of Geneva) and subsequently at 1, Place de la Fusterie. The trademark was registered on February 2, 1907, under No. 21652. The manufacturer, which produced high-quality watches, merged with Agassiz Watch Co. S.A., to launch extra slim watches on the market of 16 1/2″‘- 17/12th, 15/12th, 10/12th and even 10″‘- 10/12th. This latter movement, fitted in its case, could be concealed into a 20-dollar coin and was awarded the Gold Medal at the Paris Exhibition in 1889 and, in 1910, received the highest distinction in Brussels. The company produced these watches for Tiffany. In 1921, Touchon entered into a partnership with Wittnauer, under the new company name of Wittnauer & Cie, for the production of watches and spare parts, and moved premises to 4, Rue du Mont-Blanc until 1924.