109th Auction

2023/11/18

Lot 242

Paul Buhré

A very fine and rare hunting case minute repeater for the Russian market

Sold

estimated
2.7004.000 €
Price realized
5.500 €
specific features
Case
18 K pink gold, smooth.
Dial
Enamel.
Movement
Bridge movement, 2 hammers / 2 gongs, club-tooth lever escapement, large gold screw compensation balance.
Case no.3668
Diam.56 mm
Circa1900
Ctry.Switzerland
Wt.134 g


Paul Buhré took over the watch business from his father - also Paul Buhré - who had established it in 1815 in St Petersburg. He was purveyor to the court of the Russian Tsar and had branches in Moscow. The Buhré family was one of the most important retailers of watches in Russia, importing most of their timepieces from Switzerland. Around 1880 Paul Buhré founded a watch factory in Le Locle under his name, with Swiss watchmaker Paul Othenin-Girard as director of the company. When the company founder retired, Othenin-Girard continued the business together with his brother-in-law, watchmaker Georges Pfund in St Petersburg. During the revolution in 1917 the market in Russia collapsed and Buhré began specialising in deck watches, marine chronometers, chronographs and small pendulum table clocks. In 1963 Buhré was taken over by the DIXI group.