Lot 58

Deutsche Uhrenfabrikation Glashütte i/S - A. Lange & Söhne, Movement No. 51106, Case No. 51106, 55 mm, 123 g, circa 1908
Glashuette hunting case pocket watch with chronograph and 30 min. counter sold in 1908 for the sum of 497 Marks
Case: 14k pink gold. Dial: enamel. Movm.: 3/4 plate movement, gold screw compensation balance.
According to the inscription on the cuvette, this pocket watch was a gift from the company "Actiengesellschaft Weser" in Bremen to their employee Wilhelm Bartling, for construction management between 1905 and 1908, with reference to the names Lothringen, Thüringen, Goeben, Lützow and D164.
The Aktiengesellschaft Weser was a shipyard in Bremen; the company was originally established in 1843 and converted to a stock company in 1872. It delivered numerous ships to the imperial navy but also built around 40 cargo and passenger ships before World War I. The ship Bremen IV was built in 1926 and won the Blue Riband for the fastest Atlantic crossing in 1929. During World War II the company concentrated on the production of war good; afterwards large tankers were produced until the shipyard eventually closed down in 1983 due to the oil crisis.
The Thüringen was a Helgoland class battle ship of the imperial navy which was launched in 1909 and put into service in 1911.
The other ships were all built on order from the "Norddeutsche Lloyd". The Lothringen was a cargo ship delivered in 1906 for the service to Australia; the imperial mail boats Goeben und Lützow were put into service in 1907/1908.
Between 1924 and 1932 the Lützow was used for cruises; it was the first ship to have an airplane for sightseeing flights onboard - a luxury that only the most exclusive cruise ships of today can offer their passengers.
D164 is the construction number of the cargo and passenger ship Berlin - the name had probably not been decided upon at the time the watch was engraved. The Norddeutsche Lloyd took delivery of the ship in April 1909; at a length of 189 m, it was the largest of the five ships.