Antique Wille Frères Roskopf Pocket Watch

Antique Wille Frères Roskopf pocket watch.

The watch has a gilded stem-winding movement which is working nicely with a strong loud tick. The movement is signed Roskopf and it has the brevet (patent) number 6269 which relates to an 1893 patent in the name of Charles Leon Schmid & Cie and Wille Frères.

Roskopf was founded by George Frederic Roskopf in 1855, his dream was to make affordable watches for the working man. In an effort to increase sales, in 1867 Roskopf employed Charles Leon Schmid, his target was to sell 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 Frères.

The watch measures 55mm diameter excluding the winding stem and the loop. The case is white metal with gold highlights, namely the loop and a thin rim around the lens. There is a little unevenness to the case back but overall the condition is good.

The glass lens is in lovely condition.

The signed dial is in lovely condition with gilded hands including an unusual tail to the minute hands.

The watch comes in a new presentation box.

ALL PRICES INCLUDE UK POSTAGE (because of GPSR legislation, we no longer post items less than 100 years old to Europe, including Northern Ireland).

Please contact us regarding international shipping.

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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