Elegant Gubelin lady’s cocktail watch, fancy 18K yellow gold case with fixed “leaf spring” lugs, original pink leather strap, manual-winding A.Schild 976 movement, from the 1960s.
SPECIFICHE
18K yellow gold case measuring 29mm x 32.5mm
Cristallo originale
Corona originale
Original pink leather strap
Manual-winding A.Schild 976 movement
ANALISI
Founded in 1854 as a small watchmaking workshop in Lucerne by Mauritz Breitschmid, Gubelin has built its rise to global luxury status through a skillful combination of technical expertise and entrepreneurial vision. The turning point came in 1886, when Eduard Jakob Gubelin, Breitschmid’s apprentice, married his daughter Bertha Sophia and became a partner, laying the foundation for a dynasty that remains active and vibrant in the same field today. In the 1920s, in addition to establishing an in-house gemological laboratory to verify the authenticity of stones, anticipating the culture of traceability and certification by decades, Gubelin’s commercial success in the watchmaking sector became increasingly dominant. It developed along two complementary and perfectly integrated lines: that of an elite retailer, selecting brands from among the most prestigious Swiss manufacturers, and that of a direct manufacturer, imprinting its own stamp on refined calibers and cases.
In the first direction, the co-signature practice – placing the retailer’s mark alongside that of the manufacturer – represented a sign of trust and technical assurance: Gubelin offered its customers a top-quality selection, enhanced by the authoritative gemological and watchmaking expertise developed in-house.
In the second direction, the company began systematically producing watches of the highest quality, signed exclusively under its own name. From large table clocks to small women’s jewelry watches, Gubelin proactively adapted to fashion and social contexts, confirming its incredible tradition in both pure watchmaking and integrated jewelry.
This incredible women’s watch, with its truly extraordinary case shape, fits into this long tradition.
The center of the watch is occupied by the circular sub-case, from which the clean white dial emerges, appearing like the center of a flower. It is characterized by applied baton-shaped hour markers indicating the hours. The hour and minute hands are “alpha” shaped.
This clean dial layout contrasts with the sculptural form of the outer case, which resembles an orchid. What appears to be a large, thick petal develops asymmetrically from the sides in a sinuous, wavy movement upward. The botanical inspiration is further confirmed by the “mille-ribbed” surface treatment, which perfectly simulates the fleshiness of the orchid’s structure. On the case back, two fixed “leaf spring” lugs allow the strap to be inserted without hooks, lending visual continuity to the overall shape. This stunning case was designed and crafted by the Dubois SA manufacture in Le Loche (hammerhead hallmark no. 170) and signed with the Gubelin hourglass hallmark on the outer case back.
The robust hand-wound A.Schild 976 caliber, finished and signed by Gubelin, powers the movement. The AS 976 is a miniaturized rectangular-shaped caliber measuring 12.5mm x 15.8mm;, runs at 18,000 A/h and has a 40-hour power reserve.
