A10606

Gold Half Hunter with Historic Link

£3,500.00

Anonymous    Swiss
Circa   1865
Diameter   49 mm         

Out of stock

Description

A mid 19th Century Swiss lever in a gold half hunter case bearing the coat of arms of Emperor Maximilian I of Mexico.  Keyless nickelled bar movement with going barrel. Plain cock with polished steel regulator. Uncut bimetallic balance with spiral hairspring. Club foot lever escapement.   White enamel dial with subsidiary seconds, slender Roman numerals, blue steel half hunter hands. Unusual engine turned 18 carat half hunter case.  An applied unglazed chased and engraved gold chapter ring on the front cover bears the name “E Maximiliano” in place of the numerals.   The back cover with an applied shield shaped gold cartouche chased and engraved with intertwined characters “MIM”.  Above the characters a crown.  Gold cuvette with applied pierced and engraved coat of arms of Maximilian as Emperor.

Ferdinand Maximilian Joseph Maria von Habsburg-Lothringen, (1832 - 1867) was an Austrian archduke who became Commander in Chief of the Austrian Navy in 1854.  He was invited to become Emperor of Mexico and accepted the crown in 1863.  A short time later U.S. President Andrew Johnson recognized President Juarez as the legitimate government of Mexico. the conflict between the Republicans and Maximilian ended when he was captured and executed in June 1867.