L.Leroy

No. 11038 L. LEROY ET CIE 18k (750) yellow gold pocket watch

Round case on hinge, gold bowl marked "L. Leroy & Cie Horlogers de la Marine 7 Bd de la Madeleine Paris No. 3874", the back with engraved initials (winding crown with bail missing). White enamel dial with Roman numerals for the hours and Arabic numerals for the minutes, iron minute track and off-center second hand, signed. Mechanical movement with crown winding (plan for a complete overhaul). D.: 50 mm Gross weight: 85 g L. Leroy is a French luxury watchmaker founded in 1785 by Basile-Charles Le Roy in Paris. From the beginning, the brand distinguished itself by the quality and precision of its watches, attracting a prestigious clientele, including the French imperial family and other European courts. Over the generations, the company has evolved under the leadership of Basile-Charles' descendants. In 1828, his son Charles-Louis joined the company, which then became "Le Roy & Fils". Later, in 1892, Louis Leroy, grandson of the founder, took over the management and renamed the company "L. Leroy & Cie", during which time this watch must have been produced. Among the company's notable achievements, the "Leroy 01" watch, presented in 1900 at the Universal Exhibition in Paris, is considered the most complicated watch in the world at the time, it is now exhibited at the Palais Granvelle in Besançon. During the 20th century, L. Leroy continued to innovate, notably by installing the first radiotelegraphic time signal transmission system at the top of the Eiffel Tower in 1910. Origin: - Charles de Gaulle (1890-1970) - Then Admiral Philippe de Gaulle (1921-2024) - Then descendants