Ww1 Silver Truisa Trench Watch by Chs Leon Schmid

An antique WW1 silver Truisa trench watch by Charles Leon Schmid.

Charles Leon Schmid had a strong connection with Roskopf watches. In February 1867 Schmid was hired by Roskopf to sell watches, with a target of five to six hundred watches per month. Schmid had the inspired idea to offer the watches to different European armies and railroad companies and it was so successful that demand could not be met.

After the death of his wife Francoise in 1872, George Roskopf sold his house in La Chaux de Fonds and handed over his business to Charles Léon Schmid and the brothers Charles and Eugène Wille, forming Wille Freres.

There is little information available but it seems that Schmid had a separate company, Schmid Co, that made watches under the Truisa name.

This particular watch has a Swiss 15-jewel hand-winding movement which is working nicely and keeping good time to within around two minutes over 24 hours. The movement is signed with the name Schmid Co and the word ‘déposé’ which is short for ‘modèle déposé’ which translates to ‘registered design’. The movement is protected by an inner hinged cover.

The watch measures 34mm diameter excluding the winding crown and the fixed wire lugs. The case is silver and there are hallmarks inside the two hinged case backs for London, 1918, together with the importer’s mark for George Stockwell. From 1 June 1907, Stockwells acted as assay agents, facilitating the import into Britain of foreign gold and silver items, which had to be assayed and hallmarked in a UK assay office before being released for retail. There is also the mark JW which is probably for James Weir, a Glasgow watch manufacturer, chronometer maker to the Admiralty, jeweller and silversmiths, and probably the original retailer of this particular watch. The case is in good condition.

The watch glass has minor marking but is very acceptable for such an early piece.

The telephone dial style face has a fantastic appearance and is signed with the Truisa logo, which has more than a passing resemblance to the Roskopf logo. There is some damage to the edge of the dial, by number 9, but it is not too detrimental.

The watch has a vintage brown leather strap.

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All of our watches are checked over before listing, and are also checked for accuracy which is usually within around +/- two to three minutes over 24 hours (unless otherwise stated), which is considered respectable for a vintage watch.

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