Lot 488

Record Watch Co., Tramelan "Sector Watch", Case No. 1371, 60 x 71 mm, 106 g, circa 1910
A rare Art Nouveau design watch with retrograde jumping time indicator
Case: silver, back with relief ornamentation showing a woman rowing a boat on a lake, case maker's punch mark "Holy Frères". Dial: enamel. Movm.: triangle-shaped movement, "Brevet 27961", screw compensation balance.
This type of watch is based on Swiss patent no. 27.961 which Giovanni Sgherlino of Turin received on April 9, 1903. A group of watchmakers and dealers from Tramelan and Tavannes took an interest in the unusual design and registered the "Record Watch Co. SA." on December 16, 1903; the new company building was in Tramelan.
Holy Frères
In 1893 an engraver’s workshop under the name "Etablissement Holy Frères à St-Imier" was established in Saint-Imier. It was owned by brothers François (born in 1867) and Jules Holy (born in 1872), who were natives of Saint-Imier. The company originally specialised in decorating cases for timekeepers and later produced medals and printing plates. In 1914 the Holy brothers won a gold medal at the Swiss National Exhibition in Bern.
Source: Gustave Amweg, Les Arts dans le Jura bernois et à Bienne, Vol. 1, Pruntrut, 1937, p. 452-453

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