18ct yellow gold Vulcain, engraved full hunter minute repeating pocket watch, circa 1890s — view 1 of 4 — View 1 of 4 · Image: Somlo Antiques · original image source (opens another website in a new tab)

View 1 of 4 · Image: Somlo Antiques · original image source (opens another website in a new tab)

Pocket Watches · Pocket watch

18ct yellow gold Vulcain, engraved full hunter minute repeating pocket watch, circa 1890s

DocumentedDocumented from a dealer's listing; attribution and date as stated by the dealer.

Maker / attribution: Vulcain (maker)
Date: c. 1890s
Historical period: Industrial Revolution (1850 – 1900)
Country of origin: Switzerland
Object type: Pocket watch
Materials / technique: yellow gold
Dimensions: Case 50 mm
Dealer: Somlo Antiques (dealer), London
Stock no.: G9750
Credit line: Dealer listing, Somlo Antiques (G9750)
Catalogue title (original): 18ct yellow gold Vulcain, engraved full hunter minute repeating pocket watch. Circa 1890s (English)

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Record summary

Catalogued by Somlo Antiques (dealer), London (stock number G9750), this is a pocket watch by Vulcain, made in Switzerland, dated c. 1890s. 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 50 mm. The record is illustrated with 4 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

Vulcain was founded in 1958 in La Chaux-de-Fonds, Switzerland by Maurice Ditisheim. The company made pocket watches which were sold under the family name as ‘ Manufacture Ditisheim' until the end of the century. In 1894, the company re-branded and began to offer watches under the brand Vulcain under the leadership of Maurice Ditisheim’s son, Ernest-Albert Ditisheim. In 1900, the Ditisheim registered the name ‘Vulcain’ as a brand name for their pocket watches, naming it after the Roman god of fire. Vulcain solely produced pocket watches until World War II and thereafter began to produce wristwatches which had gained popularity with the military Brand: Vulcain Made: 1890s Model: Pocket watch Reference: Minute repeater Calibre: N/A Movement: Manual Material: 18ct yellow gold Features/complications: Engraved hunter case and minute repeater Dial: Silvered dial with outer minute track featuring black printed Arabic numeral hour markers with black spade hands and subsidiary seconds at 6 o'clock Case dimensions: 50mm Accessories: N/A Bracelet/strap: N/A SKU: 9750

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 timeline More pocket watches from this period Earlier: Precision & Scientific Horology

Atlas type guide

Repeating watches

Before electric light, telling the time in the dark was a real problem. Repeating watches strike the time on demand when a slide or push-piece is operated: quarter repeaters sound hours and quarters, minute repeaters hours, quarters and minutes. Edward Barlow and Daniel Quare disputed the invention in London in the 1680s. Early repeaters struck on a bell inside the case; Abraham-Louis Breguet introduced the gong (a coiled steel wire) around 1780, allowing thinner watches.

Repeaters require a separate train with racks, snails and a governor to control the striking speed, and are among the most demanding complications to make and adjust. Swiss makers of the Vallée de Joux specialised in repeating ébauches in the nineteenth century.

What to look for

A slide on the case band or a push-piece through the pendant.
Gongs encircling the movement (after c. 1780) or a bell in the case (earlier); pierced case for sound.
The racks, snails and governor visible under the dial or on the movement.
Terms such as 'Minutes', 'Quarts' or 'Répétition' on the dial or cuvette.

Dating clues

Bell-striking quarter repeaters: c. 1690–1800.
Gong repeaters and dumb repeaters (striking on the case): after c. 1780.
Minute repeaters became more common after c. 1830 with Vallée de Joux ébauches.

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.

Mechanisms mentioned

Minute repeater — Complication

Record completeness

Maker or attributionRecorded
DateRecorded
Place or countryRecorded
MaterialsRecorded
DimensionsRecorded
Narrative descriptionRecorded
Inscriptions / marksNot in source
ProvenanceNot in source
Several photographsRecorded

Editorial status: Documented — facts as published by the source; not independently verified by Atlas editors.

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Sources & image rights

Record source: Somlo Antiques (dealer), London (opens another website in a new tab).

Image rights: © Somlo Antiques — dealer photographs; permission required (opens another website in a new tab).

Images are hosted by the Atlas for study and credited to their owner. Rights holders may request correction, credit changes or removal, or grant permission, via the editorial office.

Cite this record

"18ct yellow gold Vulcain, engraved full hunter minute repeating pocket watch, circa 1890s." Somlo Antiques (dealer), London, G9750. Catalogue record in The Horology Atlas, WatchMuseum.org, https://atlas.watchmuseum.org/museum/18ct-yellow-gold-vulcain-engraved-full-hunter-minute-repeating-pocket-473ced.