Ancre is not a manufacturer or retailer name. It is simply a French word which refers to a mechanical detail about the watch movement, that it is equipped with a lever escapement. Levees Visible also refers to a mechanical detail, that being the escapement bridges are arranged in such a way that you could see the lever. These details were important to customers in the early era of mass-produced watches, and are commonly seen engraved on the cases of Swiss watches produced from the 1870s through the 1920s.
the Ancre watch is nevertheless of historical interest and therefore collectable. I think the watch was made in Switzerland for (obviously) the German market. The reason I say Swiss is because of the French language inscription ( which means “anchor escapement, visible levers”) and the regulator which is marked both in French “R A” and English “S F”. A French-made watch would not have had the English “S F”, and a German-made watch of that era would of course have had everything written in German. UDC is probably the owner’s initials.
The guess is that the watch may have been made for the Krupp factory in Berlin as a gift for retiring employees or something of that nature. The quality of the movement itself looks to be fairly basic.
Please remember that this is an unofficial account of the history of this company, Should you happen to find any mistakes with our information then please let us know at
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