Ernest Borel. A fine and unusual 18K gold hunter case minute repeating keyless lever watch with Westminster Carillon

SIGNED ERNEST BOREL & CIE., NEUCHATEL, NO. 3655, CIRCA 1912

Details

Ernest Borel. A fine and unusual 18K gold hunter case minute repeating keyless lever watch with Westminster Carillon
Signed Ernest Borel & Cie., Neuchatel, No. 3655, circa 1912
With gilt-finished lever movement, 32 jewels, bimetallic compensation balance, Westminster carillon repeating on four polished steel hammers onto four gongs, gold cuvette with engraved inscription Hermann Greif 27 April 1912, the white enamel dial with Breguet numerals, blued steel moon-style hands, subsidiary seconds, in circular engine-turned case with engraved initials HG to the front, repeating slide in the band, movement signed
55 mm. diam.

Lot Essay

The present watch is fitted with a Westminster carillon repeating mechanism, more complicated than the "normal" quarter or minute repeating function and more commonly found in clock watches. The quarter hours of the present watch are stroke on four hammers onto four gongs and chime the Westminster tune.

Ernest Borel & Cie. was originally founded in 1859 when Jules Borel and his brother-in-law Paul Courvoisier launched Borel & Courvoisier in Neuchâtel.

Around 1899 Jules' son Ernest took over and consequently the firm was renamed to Ernest Borel & Cie. By 1946, the company was the second largest producer of officially tested wrist chronometers.

In 1979 the firm was taken over by Aubry Frères but has ceased all activities sometimes in the 1990s.

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