Léo JUVET, for the Chinese market - Lot 2

Léo JUVET, for the Chinese market Small silver (800) savonnette pocket watch with guilloché decoration. White enameled dial, signed "Yu Wei" in gilding, black hour markers with Roman numerals for the hours and Arabic numerals with railway for the minutes. Seconds dial at 6 o'clock. Silvered brass clasp and dust cover. Cartouche with Chinese signature and number 58648 on reverse of lids. Key-wound spiral movement, signed with the cartouche. Gross weight: 47.3 g. - Diameter: 40 mm. Missing push-button. With chain and two metal winding keys (worn). The JUVET family was renowned in the Swiss watchmaking industry for this type of watch. Edouard JUVET founded his workshop in Buttes in 1842, then moved it to Fleurier in 1844. He began producing timepieces for the Chinese market in 1856. His two sons, Ami-Louis and Léo, went to Shanghai to sell them locally. The Juvet company moved to Tien-Tsin and Saigon. In 1873 Edouard Juvet registered his signature in Chinese characters (Yu Wei), which was reproduced on the watches.