Magno

Magno

A rare Swiss pair of silver hunting case pocket watches with Champlevé enamel in their original presentation box, made for the Chinese market. The watches were made in memory of Dr Sun Yat-sen (1866-1925), leader of the Chinese revolution in 1911, first president and founding father of the Republic of China and Taiwan respectively Movm. No. T 53102 und 51250, Cal. AS 16'', Case No. 87990 und 87996, Dimensions 45 mm, circa 1925, Weight 55 g, Origin Schweiz, Original box Case: Sterling silver, Champlevé enamel, ornamented rim. Dial: Enamel Movm.: 1/2 plate movement, club-tooth lever escapement, monometallic screw balance. The two hunter watches are identical. The front sides each show the portrait of Sun Yat-sen framed by illustrations of dragons under a Chinese banner: "In memory of Sun Yat-sen". The back side of each watch is decorated by the Chinese Republic flag on the left and the Chinese Nationalist party Kuomintang’s flag on the right. Underneath is the symbolic depiction of a handshake. The silver case was created by Huguenin Frères in Bern, the movement was supplied by the Adolph Schild watch manufactory (AS), Grenchen. China ordered pocket watches commemorating Sun Yat-sen, founding father of the republic from a watch company in Le Locle in the 1920s. For reasons unknown, the timepieces never made it to China and were relocated in the 1980s purely by chance. Dr. Sun Yat-sen (1866-1925) was a Chinese revolutionary statesman, first president and founding father of the People’s Republic of China and Taiwan. The Republic of China calls him the "Father of the Nation" while in the People’s Republic of China he is regarded the "Forerunner of the Revolution" due to his instrumental role in the overthrowing of the Qing dynasty during the Xinhai revolution in 1911. He was the first provisional president of the Republic of China in 1912 and co-founder and first leader of the nationalist Kuomintang party. Sun was a unifying figure in post imperial China and is revered by many in China and Taiwan. Case: very good. Dial: very good. Movm.: very good, capable of running, cleaning recommended.