Lot Essay
This watch contains a 20 line (45 mm. diam.) movement numbered 5771, supplied together with a similar mechanism No. 5767 by L. Elisée Piguet to Uhrenfabrik Union in 1896. These movements were supplied virtually complete but would have been finished and adjusted in Glashütte under the direction of Julius Bergter. In this case the balance cock, staff, hairspring and hairspring clamp were all made in Glashütte.
From 1893 to 1914 Uhrenfabrik Union only completed seventeen of these ultra-complicated watches. Even the famous makers A. Lange & Söhne only made 9 pieces.
The decoration of these large Louis XV à goutte cases was designed by Professor Carl Ludwig Theodor Graff, 1844-1906, who was Privy Councillor to the Court, Director of the Royal Arts and Crafts Museum of Saxony, becoming Professor in 1879. It is not yet known who designed the enamel plaques for the watch but one sees similarities in the engraved and enamelled versions - in the use of cornucopiae, the heart at six o'clock and the oak and laurel wreaths. The enamelling is of a particularly high standard and may well also have been carried out in Switzerland.
Uhrenfabrik Union was founded on 1 January 1893 by the Dresden Wholesaler Dürrstein & Co., proprietor Johannes Dürrstein 1845-1901, and put under the technical management of Julius Bergter. Born in Frankfurt/Main Johannes Dürrstein commenced his career with the wholesaler Ludwig & Fries. In 1874 he and his brother Friedrich set up their own business Dürrstein & Co in Dresden, whence they secured contracts with Swiss manufacturers and in their heyday turned over 65,000 pieces per annum. A. Lange & Söhne were the recognised top quality German makers exporting over 90 of their watches especially to North and South America. As a result of the recession following the American Civil War, Lange hit hard times and was thus pleased to allow Dürrstein to take over the sole distribution of the Lange range throught the German speaking countries of Europe.
Johannes recognised that during the recession years only very few of his clients would be able to buy or stock Lange watches inspite of their much better quality and so formed in 1879 the "Deutsche Uhrenfabrikation Glashütte" - D.U.F. - for the distribution of cheaper Swiss watches under the Glashütte trademark of a bell flanked by five stars.
The original Union watches, with trademark of a "portal", are of high quality and on special request could be supplied with the most complicated of mechanisms including pocket chronometers, tourbillons and perpetual calendars and with a rating certificate from the Hamburg Observatory.
We are indebted to Herrn Bernd Schaarschmidt, Schnorbach, Germany, for his research and advice on this watch and the Dürrstein family.
From 1893 to 1914 Uhrenfabrik Union only completed seventeen of these ultra-complicated watches. Even the famous makers A. Lange & Söhne only made 9 pieces.
The decoration of these large Louis XV à goutte cases was designed by Professor Carl Ludwig Theodor Graff, 1844-1906, who was Privy Councillor to the Court, Director of the Royal Arts and Crafts Museum of Saxony, becoming Professor in 1879. It is not yet known who designed the enamel plaques for the watch but one sees similarities in the engraved and enamelled versions - in the use of cornucopiae, the heart at six o'clock and the oak and laurel wreaths. The enamelling is of a particularly high standard and may well also have been carried out in Switzerland.
Uhrenfabrik Union was founded on 1 January 1893 by the Dresden Wholesaler Dürrstein & Co., proprietor Johannes Dürrstein 1845-1901, and put under the technical management of Julius Bergter. Born in Frankfurt/Main Johannes Dürrstein commenced his career with the wholesaler Ludwig & Fries. In 1874 he and his brother Friedrich set up their own business Dürrstein & Co in Dresden, whence they secured contracts with Swiss manufacturers and in their heyday turned over 65,000 pieces per annum. A. Lange & Söhne were the recognised top quality German makers exporting over 90 of their watches especially to North and South America. As a result of the recession following the American Civil War, Lange hit hard times and was thus pleased to allow Dürrstein to take over the sole distribution of the Lange range throught the German speaking countries of Europe.
Johannes recognised that during the recession years only very few of his clients would be able to buy or stock Lange watches inspite of their much better quality and so formed in 1879 the "Deutsche Uhrenfabrikation Glashütte" - D.U.F. - for the distribution of cheaper Swiss watches under the Glashütte trademark of a bell flanked by five stars.
The original Union watches, with trademark of a "portal", are of high quality and on special request could be supplied with the most complicated of mechanisms including pocket chronometers, tourbillons and perpetual calendars and with a rating certificate from the Hamburg Observatory.
We are indebted to Herrn Bernd Schaarschmidt, Schnorbach, Germany, for his research and advice on this watch and the Dürrstein family.