
Pocket Watches · Pocket watch
Gold and Enamel Cylinder Pocket Watch, 1850
- Maker / attribution
- Unrecorded in source
- Date
- 1850
- Historical period
- Industrial Revolution (1850 – 1900)
- Country of origin
- Unrecorded in source
- Object type
- Pocket watch
- Materials / technique
- gold, enamel
- Dealer
- WatchMuseum.org shop
- Stock no.
- Product 1397
- Credit line
- Dealer listing, WatchMuseum.org shop (product 1397)
- Catalogue title (original)
- Gold and Enamel Cylinder Pocket Watch (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 1397), this is a pocket watch, dated 1850. The Atlas places it in the Industrial Revolution period (1850 – 1900) of its Pocket Watches collection. Materials and techniques recorded by the source: gold, enamel. The record is illustrated with 2 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
Step into the elegance of the mid-19th century with this exquisite Swiss cylinder pocket watch, a true testament to the artistry and craftsmanship of the era. Encased in a beautifully crafted gold and enamel open face, this timepiece is not just a watch but a piece of history. It houses a keywind gilt Lepine calibre movement with a suspended going barrel, a polished steel regulator, and a plain three-arm gilt balance with a blue steel spiral hairspring. The polished steel cylinder and steel escape wheel, along with the silver dial featuring a decoratively engraved center, Roman numerals, and gold hands, add to its mechanical and aesthetic allure. What sets this watch apart is its intricately engraved gold open face case, adorned with a finely painted polychrome enamel scene depicting a lady and a cupid in a chapel, making it a unique collector’s item. The engine-turned gold cuvette, through which the watch is wound and set, adds an extra layer of sophistication. This timepiece, signed Swiss and dating back to circa 1850, with a diameter of 41 mm, is a stunning representation of the period’s Swiss craftsmanship, offering delicate details, exquisite materials, and an intricate design that will captivate both watch enthusiasts and collectors alike. This is a mid 19th Century Swiss cylinder watch that comes in a beautifully crafted gold and enamel open face case. It has a keywind gilt Lepine calibre movement with a suspended going barrel, a plain cock with a polished steel regulator, and a plain three arm gilt balance with a blue steel spiral hairspring. The watch also features a polished steel cylinder and steel escape wheel, as well as a silver dial with a decoratively engraved centre, Roman numerals, and gold hands. What makes this watch truly unique is its engraved gold open face case, featuring a well-painted polychrome enamel scene of a lady and a cupid in a chapel. The watch is wound and set through the engine turned gold cuvette, which adds an extra layer of elegance and sophistication. Overall, this watch is a stunning representation of mid 19th Century Swiss craftsmanship, with its delicate details, exquisite materials, and intricate design. It is a true work of art that both watch enthusiasts and collectors alike will surely appreciate. Signed Swiss Circa 1850 Diameter 41 mm
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
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
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