Lot 423

Du Bois & Fils

A very fine and extremely rare skeletonized Geneva pocket watch with early minute repeater

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The applied rack striking mechanism with mirror-polished steel levers is visible against a blued steel background, along with the richly decorated openworked barrel and the three-armed ring balance with the evenly moving escapement wheel. Opening the back cover reveals the openworked, gilt movement plate with elaborate engravings and star-shaped rakes in the centre. When the repeater is released, two hammers strike a pair of two-tone clay gongs shaped as snakes that wind around the movement.

In 1785 Philippe Du Bois and his sons founded the "Du Bois & Fils 1785" watch company at the family seat in Le Locle. Du Bois had already established extensive business connections all over Europe and America as a cloth merchant, which made things much easier for the start-up watch company. During the 19th century Du Bois & Fils opened branches in Germany, the Netherlands, Spain and the United States and business boomed. Due to its proximity to the trade fairs the German Frankfurt branch was particularly important.