Antique Minute Repeater Pocket Watch. 18K Gold. Hausmann & Co. Circa 1905

Gorgeous antique pocket watch with minute repeater, made in 18K gold by Hausmann & Co, an Italian watchmaking firm that started in 1794. The watch was manufactured circa 1905 and is in very good condition, showing excellent working order. The case is of polished gold, "bassine et filets" type and of semi-hunter design. The front cover has a circular opening with Arabic numerals around it and a minute ring. Through the opening we can see the hands, which indicate the time. Under the back cover we find a gold dust cover with the name of the distributing company engraved: Hausmann & Co. Corso 406 Roma. Hausmann & Co is one of the best watchmaking firms located in Rome, official distributor, as well, of prestigious firms such as Patek Philipe or Vacheron Constantin. Both worked for this prestigious brand, Patek Philippe to a greater extent, and manufactured some of the watches that were later distributed by this prestigious watchmaker. There is a possibility that either Patek Philippe or Vacheron Constantin made this watch for Hausmann & Co because of the characteristic wolf-tooth wheels on the movement. Only Vacheron Constantin and Patek Philippe manufactured this type of wolf-tooth wheels. The front cover protects an enamel dial with Breguet Arabic numerals, minute ring, seconds at the six o'clock position, steel hands and the manufacturer's name. The movement, meanwhile, has a minute repeater, activated by a side lever. The sonnerie is operated by two silver-plated hammers on two gongs. Inside, the covers bear the Swiss marking of the 18K gold parts. This antique pocket watch with minute repeater, made of 18K gold, signed by Hausmann & Co, and possibly manufactured by Patek Philippe or Vacheron Constantin is a real collector's item that stands out for its age, quality and excellent performance. Measurements: Width: 52 mm. History of Hausmann & Co The history of the firm Hausmann & Co. begins in 1794 and was founded under the name of Giovanni Romano Ricci, a young Italian watchmaker who opened his watchmaking workshop in the heart of papal Rome, in the Palazzo Piombino in Piazza Colonna. At a time when watchmaking was a craft in the true sense of the word, master craftsman Romano Ricci earned a reputation for skill in the manufacture and repair of delicate watch mechanisms, and soon became popular with the high nobility and clergy. In 1870, Ernst Hausmann, a young German watchmaker, joined the firm. In 1889 the firm's headquarters were temporarily moved to an office in Via Bocca di Leone and a year later, in 1890, the store moved to its present location where it is still located, at 406 Via del Corso. In 1895 Hermann Frielingsdorf, a German watchmaker, joined the firm, which was renamed Hausmann & Co. During the following years it opened branches in Naples, Genoa and New York. Today the firm is still active. For more information on the history of the firm: https://www.hausmann-co.com/en/history/