Swiss watch with chronograph and 30 min. counter Circa 1892

Silver open faced pocket watch by Jacot-Burmann/ Léo Aeby
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A Swiss gentleman’s rare pocket watch with patented chronograph and 30 min. counter Nouvelle montre chronographe Swiss patent no. 32 & 21 – with extensive documentation, circa 1892. Silver engine turned case. Enamel dial with Arabic numerals, auxiliary seconds, 30 min. counter, centre chronograph hand and blued spade hands. Bridge movement, frosted, gilt, mirror-polished chronograph steel parts, gold screw compensation balance, index spring fine adjusting device.
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Diameter: 50 mm
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Weight: 106 g
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Signed: Breveté
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Aeby, Léo (also Léo Aebi), Swiss watch manufacturer
Léo Aeby was born in Tavannes in 1860 as the son of a watch manufacturer. His father, Johann Aeby, owned a small watch factory founded in Madretsch near Biel in 1873 and produced under the name Aeby & Landry.
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Leo Aeby’s most important contribution to the development of the Swiss watch industry was his guidance on the rational manufacture of watches.
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After training in Tavannes, he perfected his skills in Biel and Porretruy, then at the technical centre in Winterthur. During the school holidays, he mostly worked in his father’s company. There was often talk of American production methods, which aroused young Aeby’s interest. In 1881, he left Switzerland and went to America for three years. After his return to Switzerland, Aeby used his experience and knowledge to modernize the watch industry in his home country based on the American model. Initially, people were very sceptical of the new production methods from America, but Aeby ultimately convinced the critics with the quality of its watches.
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In 1888, he took over his father’s company, now renamed Léo Aeby & Cie. The company also produced chronographs based on a patent by Henri Jacot-Burmann.
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However, the people of his era could not benefit from Aeby’s knowledge and experience for a long time. At the age of only 32, he died in Davos in 1893 as a result of a serious lung disease.