Lot 370

H. R. Ekegrén, Geneva, Movement No. 16516, Case No. 16516, 50 mm, 109 g, circa 1875
A Geneva minute repeating pocket watch
Case: 18k gold, monogrammed. Dial: enamel. Movm.: bridge movement, 2 hammers / 2 gongs, screw compensation balance.
Henry Robert Ekegrén (1823-1869) was born in Denmark and completed his apprenticeship in the shop of URBAN JÜRGENSEN & SONNEN in Copenhagen. He worked a season for JULES JÜRGENSEN in Le Locle, then went on to work in London and Paris. In 1847 he worked for a year for HENRI GOLAY in Geneva, then for ten years for its successor company GOLAY-LERESCHE. He also worked for WINNERL and ADOLPH LANGE before establishing his own company with Ferdinand Westermann in Geneva. The Geneva Observatory always gave H.R. Ekegrén a high rating for its pocket chronometers, as did other contests. He was one of the most awarded Swiss watchmakers. The Journal Suisse d' Horlogerie noted not only that Ekegrèn was a first-rate timer, but also that he allowed no one else to direct his business and that he was always seeking to elevate the level of the chronometric art.
Source: "Swiss Timepiece Makers" by Kathleen H. Prichard, West Kennebunk 1997, p. E18-20.