Pocket Watches · Pocket watch
18ct yellow gold Patek Philippe Open face pocket watch with scene of Hercule aux pieds d'Omphale' (Hercules at the feet of Omphale), 1899
- Maker / attribution
- Patek Philippe (maker)
- Date
- 1899
- Historical period
- Industrial Revolution (1850 – 1900)
- Country of origin
- Switzerland
- Object type
- Pocket watch
- Materials / technique
- yellow gold
- Dimensions
- Case 28 mm
- Stock no.
- G3474
- Credit line
- Dealer listing, Somlo Antiques (G3474)
- Catalogue title (original)
- 18ct yellow gold Patek Philippe Open face pocket watch with scene of "Hercule aux pieds d'Omphale' (Hercules at the feet of Omphale). Made 1899 (English)
View the source record (dealer listing) ↗ (opens another website in a new tab)Suggest a correction
Record summary
Catalogued by Somlo Antiques (dealer), London (stock number G3474), this is a pocket watch by Patek Philippe, made in Switzerland, dated 1899. The Atlas places it in the Industrial Revolution period (1850 – 1900) of its Pocket Watches collection. Materials and techniques recorded by the source: yellow gold. Recorded dimensions: Case 28 mm. The record is illustrated with 3 photographs.
Assembled from the source record's structured fields. Dates and attributions are given as the source states them; where a field is missing the Atlas leaves it blank rather than estimating.
Catalogue description
Dealer description — Somlo Antiques
For decades, pocket watches were the main stage on which Patek Philippe demonstrated its skills. Even though wristwatches have taken their place, they still delight connoisseurs of rare timepieces. As the guardian of high-end watchmaking artistry, the manufacture continues to craft pocket watches in small numbers. Their aesthetic finesse remains a source of fascination. These timepieces with manually wound movements are produced in compliance with the strict directives of the Patek Philippe Seal, as regards both artisan-ship and rate accuracy. Today, vintage Patek Philippe is a titan in the vintage luxury watch community. Their obsessive attention to detail combined with ground-breaking feats such as the first serially produced, perpetual calendar wristwatches as well as the first split-second chronograph wristwatch, have made Patek Philippe wristwatches and pocket watches some of the most sought after in the world. Brand: Patek Philippe Made: 1899 Model: Pocket watch Reference: - Calibre: 10''' Movement: Manual Material: 18ct yellow gold Features/complications: Case engraved with scene of "Hercule aux pieds d'Omphale' Dial: White dial with outer minute track and Arabic numerals featuring Louis XVI hands Case dimensions: 28mm Bracelet/strap: N/A Accessories: - SKU: 3474
Historical context
Industrial Revolution (1850 – 1900)
American interchangeable-parts manufacture; railroad time standards; Swiss and German factory systems.
Machine production with interchangeable parts, pioneered by Waltham (1850s) and adopted by Elgin, Longines, Omega and others, made reliable lever watches widely affordable. Keyless winding became standard, railroad watch standards were introduced (1890s), and Swiss and American industries competed globally.
Read the period in the timelineMore pocket watches from this periodEarlier: Precision & Scientific Horology
Atlas type guide
Hunter, half-hunter and open-face watches
In the nineteenth century the pocket watch case settled into a few standard forms. The hunter (French savonnette) has a hinged front lid protecting the crystal — reputedly for riders who could not risk broken glass — and is opened by pressing the crown or a push-piece. The half-hunter has a small window in the lid so the hands can be read when closed. The open-face (lépine) watch has no front cover, with the crown at 12; hunters normally carry the crown at 3.
Case types also changed with winding: key-wound watches gave way to keyless (stem-wound) mechanisms after Adrien Philippe's and others' designs of the 1840s, with pendant setting or lever setting.
What to look for
- Crown position relative to the seconds dial: at 3 for hunters, at 12 for open-face watches.
- Spring-loaded front cover with a push-piece in the pendant.
- Half-hunter chapter ring enamelled on the lid.
- Key holes in the inner dome (cuvette) versus keyless winding.
Dating clues
- Keyless winding spread after c. 1850 and became standard by c. 1890.
- English hallmarks inside gold and silver cases give the year of assay.
General guidance written by the Atlas editors about this kind of object. It is not a statement about this particular piece; for that, rely on the source record above and on physical examination.
Read next:Detached lever escapement
Related records
Clocks · 1965–1975
Quartz master clock QM 1, with movement by Patek Phillippe, Switzerland, 1965–1975. Supplied by English Clock Systems.
Science Museum Group, London
Instruments · 1965–1984
Chronometer by Patek Philippe and Kelvin Hughes, England, 1965–1984
Science Museum Group, London
Pocket Watches · c. 1895
Patek Philippe pocket watch, c. 1895
Antiquorum auction archive, Geneva
Pocket Watches · c. 1900
Patek Philippe Chronometro Gondolo, c. 1900
Antiquorum auction archive, Geneva
Pocket Watches · c. 1850
Watch by Eugène Bornand, Switzerland, c. 1850
The Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York
Pocket Watches · probably c. 1850–55
Watch by Firm of Perret & Cie, Switzerland, probably c. 1850–55
The Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York
Pocket Watches · c. 1850–55
Watch by François Czapek, c. 1850–55
The Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York
Pocket Watches · c. 1850
Pocket watch by D Bachelard et Fils, Switzerland, c. 1850
German Clock Museum