HENCHOZ FRÈRES, YELLOW GOLD CHRONOMETER WITH ONE MINUTE TOUBILLON REGULATOR HUNTER-CASE POCKET WATCH

The present watch is a fine, large and heavy example of a one minute tourbillon pocket chronometer made by Henchoz Frères of Le Locle. The three-armed tourbillon carriage with its frame consisting of a continuous steel ring is comparable to the examples illustrated in Reinhard Meis, Das Tourbillon, p. 45, pl. Z55, and pp. 157-159.

Tourbillon carriages by Henchoz Frères were furthermore always fitted with a chronometer escapement. Reinhard Meis states that it is believed that the renowned Albert Pellaton-Favre initially supplied tourbillon carriages to Henchoz Frères, regrettably this must remain conjecture as no written evidence for this assumption is available.

Active in Le Locle in the second half of the 19th century, Henchoz Frères were renowned for their high quality precision watches, particularly chronometers with tourbillon which regularly participated at the Neuchâtel Observatory timing contests.