Dimensions:

                                          The watch measures: 53 mm across and 73 mm, including crown. Thickness: 14mm. Weight: 64.14dwt (98.9g).

This superb and exquisite "Hy Moser & Cie" Solid Gold Men’s Pocket Watch with Chain and Fob in absolutely mint condition is a truly rare find for the unique pocket watch lovers and, especially, the rare antique Swiss “International Watch Company (IWC)” Schaffhausen collectors!  Manufactured in Switzerland by one of the most famous watchmakers, the originator of the International Watch Co. and the official supplier of watches to the Russian Imperial court, Henry Moser in ca. 1887-1890, this particular model is considered as one of the firm's best and qualitative models. This unique pocket watch is still preserved in excellent condition in its original wooden box, lined in silk with the inscription in pre-revolutionary Russian alphabet on the cover: "Г. МОЗЕРЪ и Ко. в Москвъ" ("H. Moser and Co. in Moscow"). The watch is in perfect working order, and looks like it was probably never used - winds smoothly and runs fine with a great motion. A very good time keeper! With the original watch-hands and crystal glass in absolutely mint condition, clean and bright, all covers closing tight and open properly. No dings or dents, scratches or imperfections are found anywhere.

The full Hunter Case is made of 56° (14K) Rose Gold and has a Serial No. 90206. This watch has one frontal and two rear covers, external and internal. The presence of the inner lid is a good sign of a high quality watch and used to protect the mechanism from dust, as well as providing added protection from moisture. Both, the frontal and the upper rear covers display machined decorations and are inscripted “Hy Moser & Cie” and hallmarked .The solid gold inner lid also bears the following inscriptions: “Hy Moser & Cie”, "15 Rubies", "Echappement a Ancre", "Qualite Salter" and Serial No. 90206. The watch measures: 53 mm across and 73 mm, including crown. Thickness: 14mm. Weight: 64.14dwt (98.9g). The 15-Jewel pin-set nickel movement has a lever escapement and anchor-style layout. The white porcelain dial features Roman numerals and is signed “Hy Moser & Cie.” The smaller stopwatch dial, located at the bottom of the main watch dial, features Arabic numerals. The original, intricately woven chain measures approximately 12" long and is also made of 56° (14K) Rose Gold, and has the most unusual fob - the1899 Imperial Russian 10 Rubles coin. The coin (56°/14K) contains .2489 of a troy ounce of gold and features on one side the profile of the last Czar of Russia, Nichols II and the Russian Imperial coat of arms with the double-headed Imperial eagle on the other side, along with the date, 1899. While the coin was worth 10 Roubles when it was manufactured, it still continues to grow in value due to its age, rarity and very high gold purity level (900 gold content). The coin alone weighs 8.6g (5.57dwt) and measures 22.5mm in diameter. The total combined weight of the chain and fob is 33.8g (21.9dwt).

Johann Heinrich Moser, the Watchmaker to the Tsars

Johann Heinrich Moser was born and grew up in Schaffhausen in the traditions and experience of a watch making dynasty that had become established over the generations. Son and grandson of watchmakers, he learned the traditional watchmaker’s craft from his father, Erhard Moser and from his grandfather Johannes Moser. In 1824, he left Schaffhausen to set up in Le Locle, where he perfected his knowledge in the presence of the greatest watchmakers of the time. Two years later, he tried to return and set up business in his home town, but the Municipal Council rejected his request to be given the honorary post of watchmaker to the town in favor of someone else. Heinrich Moser & Co. came into being in 1828 and in 1829, Johann Heinrich Moser founded his watch making business in Locle to manufacture pocket watches. As an ambitious and visionary watchmaker, Johann Heinrich Moser decided to set up in business in Russia. Tsarist Russia at the time was regarded as an excellent labor and sales market and as a sound trading base for watches. After several employed positions as a watchmaker, he founded his own company in St. Petersburg at the end of 1828. This marked the hour of inception of the greatly successful brand, Hy Moser & Cie. Alongside precision watches and watches designed as pieces of jewelers, Johann Heinrich Moser also offered a range of simple watches. As he built up his trading network, he came to realize that a successful wholesaler should also be a manufacturer. Johann Heinrich Moser accordingly established a watch factory in Le Locle in 1829, which produced watches exclusively for his businesses. This allowed him to guarantee the high quality of his products. Eventually, he was made an honorary citizen of Le Locle in acknowledgement of his services to the town in the Swiss Jura. Johann Heinrich Moser’s constant quest for quality was crowned by success. In 1831, he opened a subsidiary in Moscow, and became supplier to the Tsars, the Royal Families, the Imperial Court and the Russian Army. Within just a few years, he was selling watches to Persia, China, Japan and Turkestan. Johann Heinrich Moser also developed sales of his watches in Siberia and Kamchatka as well as New York and Paris, where his brother George Moser was working as a watchmaker. Only 15 years after starting his company, Johann Heinrich Moser was the undisputed market leader in the Russian watch trade. In 1845, the Johann Heinrich Moser companies in Russia employed around fifty people. Having become a prosperous watchmaker, Johann Heinrich Moser decided to return and settle definitively in his home town of Schaffhausen at the end of 1848 where he had the Charlottenfels castle built. He became one of the key figures in the town, participating actively in its development.

             "Hy Moser & Cie” - Company & Brand Name

The first internationally active company founded by Johann Heinrich Moser was the St. Petersburg trading company, Hy Moser & Co. From this name, he developed the company signature in Latin and in Cyrillic script, which was almost always accompanied by a medallion. Until about 1918, these symbols were the standard signature on all watches supplied by Heinrich Moser’s watch company. In 1829, Johann Heinrich Moser opened a watch factory in le Locle, which also bore the name “Hy Moser & Co.”. The Russian operation had to be abandoned in 1917 in the aftermath of the October Revolution. In about 1920, in Moscow he founded the “Central watch repair workshop” on the ashes of the Moser watch making factories of old Tsarist Russia. For the seventy-year period of the “Soviet Union” Henry Moser watches would remain synonymous with work of a superior quality for the leaders of the eastern bloc. As proof of this, in 1966, the USSR presented one of its high-ranking military staff a Moser pocket watch in 18-carat gold, dating from before 1917 (this collector’s piece has now been bought back by Moser Schaffhausen AG). The name of Henry Moser also died out in this branch of the family in 1923 with the death of Heinrich Moser’s only son, who had no male offsprings. In 2002, Dr. Jürgen Lange and the great-grandson of Johann Heinrich Moser, Roger Nicholas Balsiger, jointly with private investors, founded the watch company Moser Schaffhausen AG. Dr. Lange also registered the original brand H. Moser & Cie again internationally. It was a time of renaissance for the Moser Schaffhausen AG and the reintegration of the Henry Moser lineage. "Henry Moser" watches were so popular and demanded that there were their fakes. Therefore, in trading price-lists of these firms, among the list of addresses of shops, types of watches and the prices for them, there were so-called "Cautions". For example, in the Trading price-list of factory of Moser for March, 1906 it is written, that " for elimination of cases of abusing by some dealers by the name of our firm we consider necessary to recommend wishing to get watches of our factory to pay special attention on that - whether it is placed on offered watches per brands available on them and inscriptions in French before a surname "MOSER & Ce" letters "Hy", as only with such brands and inscriptions watches are really products sew factories".  These cautions are useful and to modern collectors of watches, as well. Today, Roger Nicholas Balsiger, great grandson of Johann Heinrich Moser, heads the company’s administrative council as its honorary president. In the autumn of 2005, for the 200th anniversary of its founder, the company reappeared on the international watch-making scene.

IMPORTANT NOTES:

AUTHENTICITY:     We guarantee the authenticity of all items to be as represented. Ashville Fine Arts Gallery specializes in a variety of fine art, antiques, jewelry, collectibles and rare finds. If you haven't seen something that interests you or that you collect, please visit often and check our ever expanding inventory. We  make a best effort to provide a fair and descriptive condition report. Please  examine the photos attentively, as they are an integral part of item descriptions.

SHIPPING:             We Sell & Ship Worldwide.  Domestic & International Customers are Welcome! We reserve the right to use another shipping carrier or method other  than what is listed, to ensure your purchase is delivered securely. Please contact us if you require a specific shipping carrier. In the event if the dimensions and weight of the purchased item exceed those allowed by USPS, the shipping charges estimates, specified in the general item description should be considered incorrect. A valid shipping cost  estimate shall be arranged with the Buyer in accordance with a destination, type of shipping selected, insurance etc. International Buyers, please check your country Customs regulations, as we are not responsible for any customs fee or duty after international shipping is posted!  Import duties and taxes are the Buyer's responsibility and are not included in the price you have paid for an item. Hand delivery is complimentary to New York City Buyers.

INSURANCE:         All items are carefully packed and insured. Please do not attempt to return an item due to shipping damage. Should it occur in spite of our careful packaging, this must be handled through the shipping agent with an insurance claimed with the insurance company. Always be sure to  retain all original packaging if a claim is to be made, as the shipping agent may request to examine it.

CONTACT US:      Please feel free to e-mail us with any questions regarding shipping or our listings and we will be happy to assist you.