Mens 1910 DOXA Antique HUGE Pocket Watch Le LOCLE SWISS

DOXA

UNIQUE AND RARE EXAMPLE OF TIMEPIECE
VERY BEAUTIFUL ANTIQUE POCKET WATCH CA 1910’s
VERY BEAUTIFUL MECHANICAL WORK

This auction is for a scarce ALL ORIGINAL and RARE and MASSIVE example of a men’s ca 1910’s “DOXA” timepiece with an intricately engraved and carved SCENE OF HUNTING. The scene is wonderfully detailed and is contained within a circular border. The rest of the case has ornately carved detailing on the front and back bezels, side.

DOXA's History

DOXA was founded in 1889 in the heart of one of Switzerland's major and most inventive watch making areas, the canton (district) of Neuchatel's Jura Mountains. Today DOXA brings to the industry a perspective forged over a century of often pioneering watch design.

The founder Georges Ducommun (1868-1936), the founder of DOXA, was born in Le Locle among the Jura hills of canton Neuchatel in Switzerland. He was one of 13 children of a poor family. At the age of 12, he became an apprentice in a manufacture specialised in casing-up watch movements. He started his own watch repair business when he was 20. He worked hard to set up his business, walking the 10 kilometers to La Chaux-de Fonds to deliver his products personally, even in the depth of winter. The success of his watches enabled him to live in Chateau des Monts, today home of the world-renowned Le Locle horological museum. From there he made the daily journey to his factory by carriage. DOXA & Sportscars... When the first horseless carriages appeared, George Ducommun became one of the region's first owners of an automobile. He had a garage built on his property and his own petrol pump... At the beginning of the 30's, the fast evolution of aircraft and automobile industry put pressure on the watch-making industry, it was one of the greatest challenges ever for the watch manufacturers. As an astute industrialist and passionable automobile owner, Georges Ducommun reacted to the evolving car racing market and started to develop instrument-panel clocks for cars (and aircraft). For those, he used a high-grade 8-day watch movement, which he had patented in 1908.

The greatest automobile manufacturer of that age, BUGATTI, equipped its famous race cars with DOXA 8-day movement instruments. DOXA, Sportscars & Rallye Timers The tight and emotional relationship between the automobile and watch-making industry has a long tradition and dates back to the beginning of the 20th century. It was in the year of 1911, when the first board watch decorated early automobile dashboards. Watch manufacturers put all their effort in the production of precise high-quality time-pieces for automobile dashboards in order to play a part in the evolving car racing industry. DOXA, Sportscars & Rallye Timers The tight and emotional relationship between the automobile and watch-making industry has a long tradition and dates back to the beginning of the 20th century. It was in the year of 1911, when the first board watch decorated early automobile dashboards. Watch manufacturers put all their effort in the production of precise high-quality time-pieces for automobile dashboards in order to play a part in the evolving car racing industry. DOXA's contribution to time-measurement in the race car history was the integration of its 1908 patented high-grade 8-day watch movement in the legendary instrument-panel board watch, nowadays known under the name DOXA 8-DAYS. The famous Bugatti Type 35 built from 1924 to 1931 was Bugatti's most successful sports car. The greatest automobile manufacturer of that age, BUGATTI, equipped its famous race cars with DOXA 8-day movement instruments. DOXA 8-day movement instruments This high-grade legendary 8-day movement patented in 1908 by George Ducommun, DOXA's founder. The complicated movement has a power reserve of 8 days as the name implies. Each metal piece of the high-quality movement, each timer is assembled individually.

This beautiful a manual wind timepiece features an ORIGINAL handsome white porcelain enamel dial. It is featuring a 60 minute outer track border with gold dots, original steel skeleton hands, black enamel Arabic numbers and a recessed sub-seconds dial with “sweep” steel seconds hand and 60 second outer chapter. Signed Anti-Magnetique - DOXA.

The four-piece, DOUBLE HINGED case is ORIGINAL and was made especially for Doxa and is in great condition.

In my opinion these types of cases represent some of the best value for money. These metal cased (and sometimes silver) watches were decorated with the highest quality scenes made by three case maker’s in particular, Holy Freres, Georges Frantz and Huqunin. The detail on these cases is always intricate and well defined and also these were made in relatively low numbers.

The movement comes in a metal open face case, which has a hinged inner, back and snap on bezel. Peeking inside I discover that there is a desirable dust cover inner lid, a true sign of quality watch. This was used to protect the mechanism from dust and debris and to provide an extra layer of protection from shock or moisture.

What’s nice about this particular dust cover is how it’s decorated with engraved medals with exquisite miniature detailing. This was to commemorate Doxa’s award at the 1906 Milan Watch Fair. And further signed DOXA – MEDAILLE D’OR. – MILAN 1906, HORS CONCOURS LIEGE – 1905.

The case is decorated on the back with an intricately engraved and carved SCENE OF HUNTING. The scene is wonderfully detailed and is contained within a circular border. The rest of the case has ornately carved detailing on the front and back bezels, side.

The 15 jewels, manual wind nickel plated movement is signed DOXA. This beautiful pocket watch has the original DOXA movement in an excellent status which was very well saved, considering age of this watch. Mechanism has been recently serviced to ensure it winds and sets smoothly while keeping great, accurate time.

Note the nail set feature near the crown. You press the pin "IN" and then move the crown to set the hands.

Diameter (with crown):      86.50 mm
Diameter (without crown): 70.00 mm
Watch crystal diameter:    56.00 mm
Thickness:                        17.00 mm

This very fine watch winds and sets very smoothly while keeping very good, accurate time.

Because of the vintage nature of the watch I cannot guarantee its absolute time keeping accuracy even if they are in good running condition and in some rare occasions may require additional adjustment.