Collector's Pocket Watches, Wristwatc...

New York, Grand Havana Room, Dec 06, 2000

LOT 71

Henry Moser & Cie, Le Locle, St. Petersburg, Moscow, No. 56426, circa 1910 for the Russian market.Fine and interesting, 14K gold Art Nouveau, keyless watch in original fitted box.

USD 2,200 - 2,500

C. four body, 'demi-bassine', fully decorated with raised basket with flowers, floral garlands, laurel leaves and scrolling, bezel en suite, band in geometrical pattern at the top part, polished lower part, gold hinged cuvette. D. matte silver, Arabic champlevé numerals, subsidiary sunk seconds, 'Breguet' blued steel hands. M. 19''', nickel plated, 'fausses côtes' decoration, straight line lever escapement, cut bimetallic compensation balance, Breguet balance spring, jeweled to the center (16 jeels), pin-set.Dial and movement signed, stamped with Moser's mark on movement.Diam. 50 mm.


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Grading System
Grade: A

Good
Case: 2

Very good
Movement: 3

Good
Dial: 2

Very good

Notes

Johann Heinrich MoserThe youngest in the family of 12 children, Johann Heinrich Moser was born December 12, 1805 in Schaffhausen. His father, Erhard Moser (1760-1829) was a clockmaker and city councilor. When Johann was 15 years old, he was apprenticed to his father. Four years later became a journeyman, a necessary condition at that time to be eligible to become a free clockmaker or a watchmaker. He went to Chaux-de-Fonds and Le Locle.In his later days he wrote his memoirs which have survived. He claims that in his journeyman years he worked year after year from 5 o'clock in the morning to 10 o'clock at night, he mentioned that even on New Year's Eve of 1824 he worked until 11 o'clock at night and spent New Year's Day repairing his clothes. Sundays he spent writing letters to relatives and friends.