Lot 133

Paul Ditisheim

Solvil

A very fine and extremely rare vintage wristwatch in an exceptionally shaped bicolour case with original box

The watch is powered by a round manual wind Solvil movement, which was also used as a chronometer movement; the Solvil manufacture was founded by Paul Ditisheim. This small wristwatch movement with central curved bridges for minute, second and intermediate wheels is very similar to a pocket watch calibre created by Ditisheim in the 1920s. The Solvil company started submitting wristwatches for official chronometer testing as early as 1927.

Paul Ditisheim (1868-1945) was one of the most famous Swiss maker of watches and chronometers, who did most of his research and his publications in the field of precision timekeeping. He did his apprenticeship at the watchmaking school in La Chaux-de-Fonds, before working in Ponts-de-Martel, Berlin, Paris, and in the Rotherham Watch Company of Coventry. In 1892 he opened up a watchmaking factory in La Chaux-de-Fonds. He presented his watches in many exhibitions and was very sucessful in designing pocket chronometers, usually with lever escapement. He developed for example a navy chronometer with exchangeable escapement system. Ditisheim and Charles-Edouard Guillaume worked together in developing and testing of temperature-independent metal alloys. Source: Ghul Uhren Lexikon