Pocket Watches · Pocket watch
Duke of Wellington Medal Pocket Watch Silver with Chain, 1930
- Maker / attribution
- Unrecorded in source
- Date
- 1930
- Historical period
- Golden Age of Mechanical Watchmaking (1900 – 1945)
- Country of origin
- Unrecorded in source
- Object type
- Pocket watch
- Materials / technique
- silver
- Dealer
- WatchMuseum.org shop
- Stock no.
- Product 3136
- Credit line
- Dealer listing, WatchMuseum.org shop (product 3136)
- Catalogue title (original)
- Duke of Wellington Medal Pocket Watch Silver with Chain (English)
View the source record (dealer listing) ↗ (opens another website in a new tab)Suggest a correction
Record summary
Catalogued by WatchMuseum.org shop (stock number Product 3136), this is a pocket watch, dated 1930. The Atlas places it in the Golden Age of Mechanical Watchmaking period (1900 – 1945) of its Pocket Watches collection. Materials and techniques recorded by the source: silver. The record is illustrated with 6 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 — WatchMuseum.org shop
The Duke of Wellington Medal Pocket Watch Silver with Chain – 1930 is a remarkable timepiece that embodies the elegance and sophistication of the Art Deco era. Featuring a chic design that honors HRH Duke of Wellington, this pocket watch dates back to approximately 1930 and showcases a stunning “Guillochet” engraved border around the dial. The watch’s calibre is in pristine condition, highlighted by a Breguet spiral and an adjust Avance/Retard mechanism. Complementing the watch is a silver chain adorned with typical Art Deco design elements and French hallmarks, measuring a convenient length of 15.5 inches. The original box from Dessouter in London is also included, adding to the watch’s allure and historical value. Crafted from silver and weighing 36.9 grams, this round-shaped pocket watch is a true collector’s item, perfect for those who appreciate fine craftsmanship and timeless beauty. With its excellent condition and impressive provenance, this pocket watch is an exquisite addition to any collection or a thoughtful gift for a discerning recipient. This pocket watch is an exquisite piece with a chic design featuring HRH Duke of Wellington. It dates back to approximately 1930 and has an iconic Art Deco style with a lovely “Guillochet” engraved border around the dial. The calibre of the watch is in excellent condition, with a Breguet spiral and adjust Avance/Retard evident. The pocket silver chain has typical Art Deco design features and French hallmarks, and is a good length of 15.5 inches. The original box is also included, which is from Dessouter in London. This pocket watch is a beautiful and impressive item that would be perfect for any collection or as a thoughtful gift. Case Material: Silver Weight: 36.9 g Case Shape: Round Case Dimensions: Height: 5.2 mm (0.21 in)Width: 5.2 mm (0.21 in)Depth: 0.8 mm (0.04 in)Diameter: 4.2 mm (0.17 in) Style: Art Deco Place of Origin: Unknown Period: 1920-1929 Date of Manufacture: 1930 Condition: Excellent
Historical context
Golden Age of Mechanical Watchmaking (1900 – 1945)
The wristwatch displaces the pocket watch; waterproof cases, self-winding and grand complications.
The pocket watch reached technical maturity and then began to give way to the wristwatch after the First World War. Complicated watches for collectors such as Henry Graves Jr. and James Ward Packard, railroad watches, and slim Art Deco dress watches are characteristic.
Read the period in the timelineMore pocket watches from this periodEarlier: Industrial Revolution
Atlas type guide
Pocket watches
The pocket watch was the dominant personal timekeeper from the late seventeenth century until the First World War. Its development tracks the history of the escapement: verge watches with fusees until the late eighteenth century; Thomas Mudge's lever escapement (c. 1755) and the cylinder escapement popularised by George Graham and later by Swiss makers; and the Swiss and English lever watches of the nineteenth century. Lépine's bar-bridge calibre and keyless winding made watches thinner and easier to use.
Industrialisation transformed the trade: American factories such as Waltham (from 1850) and Elgin produced interchangeable parts by machine, and Swiss makers responded with their own mechanisation after the 1876 Philadelphia Exhibition. By 1900 a reliable watch was affordable to millions; the finest makers continued to produce complications and precision watches.
What to look for
- The escapement: verge (crown wheel), cylinder, duplex, English or Swiss lever.
- Key winding (a square arbor in dial or back) or keyless crown winding.
- Signatures and serial numbers on the movement, dial and inside case back.
- Hallmarks, case maker's marks and gold or silver standards stamped in the case.
- Dial material: enamel, silver, gold, later printed metal.
Dating clues
- Verge watches dominate before c. 1800; cylinder watches c. 1770–1900; lever watches after c. 1820.
- Keyless winding: increasingly common after c. 1860.
- Manufacturer serial number lists exist for Waltham, Elgin, Longines, Omega, Patek Philippe and others.
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:Verge escapementDetached lever escapementFuseeIdentification Centre
Related records
Pocket Watches · 1900–1999
Lapel watch by Erik Holmén, 1900–1999
Nordic Museum Foundation
Pocket Watches · 1873–1930
Pocket watch, Lilla Malma socken, 1873–1930
Sörmland Museum
Pocket Watches · 1880–1920
Pocket watch, Sweden, 1880–1920
Sörmland Museum
Pocket Watches · 1890–1910
Pocket watch by Union Horlogère, France, 1890–1910
Museum of City History Leipzig
Pocket Watches · 1891–1945
Pocket watch, Germany, 1891–1945
Montanhistorisches Dokumentationszentrum
Pocket Watches · c. 1900
Pocket watch by American Waltham Watch Company, United States, c. 1900
Science Museum Group, London
Pocket Watches · c. 1900
Pocket watch by Firm of Breguet et Fils, France, c. 1900
The Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York
Pocket Watches · c. 1900
A.Lange & Söhne pocket watch, c. 1900
Antiquorum auction archive, Geneva