Beautiful Swiss pocket watch

Post by **Granmaa** » Sun Aug 20, 2006 11:46 am

Here is a superb quality pocket watch with Swiss hallmarks. It has a glass front which opens and some excellent engraving. Even the area around the holes for the key are engraved. The decoration in the face may be gold or gold plate, I'm not sure. I can't see what I'd call a maker's mark; there are some marks on the chain loop which I'll post if they're important.
I'd like to know what date it's from, who made it, and anything else.
Thankyou

Miles

argentregime · Post by **argentregime** » Thu Aug 24, 2006 11:56 am

Hi Miles.

Your watch has Swiss .935 hallmarks for silver which is purer than basic sterling. It is a key wound 'cylinder escapement' piece. Dtaing these precisely can be a nightmare but from the casing style decoration and dial, I would say it is around 1880/90.

Hope helpful.

Post by **Granmaa** » Thu Aug 24, 2006 1:02 pm

Thankyou very much; do you know where I might find the maker's mark, or didn't they use them?

Miles

argentregime · Post by **argentregime** » Thu Aug 24, 2006 1:29 pm

Hi again. This type were generally mass-produced and rarely signed. Incidentally, 'mass-produced' then did not mean poor quality !

Sometimes the better makers would sign on one of the bars of the movement. Can't see any here. Sometimes they are signed under the dial but you'd have to take the dial off to check.

Sometimes the casing itself is signed or initialled but that doesn;t mean anything either - it is usually just the silversmith's mark and does not tell you who made the movement.

Cheers. Paul