Gold cased centre-seconds automatic club-tooth lever wrist-watch with centre-date hand and gold-plated expanding bracelet

Description — British Museum

Movement with automatic winding; club-tooth lever escapement and Incabloc shock protection. Silver-coloured metal dial calibrated 1-31 for the date around the outside; Arabic hour 2, 4, 6, 8, 10 and 12 with raised gold lozenge marks for the odd numbers. Gold hour, minute and centre-seconds hands; hour and minute hands also luminous painted; steel and red-painted date indicator. Fourteen-carat gold case with screw-on back. Stainless-steel and gold-plated expanding bracelet.

Curator's comments — British Museum

Comment from Richard Good, Catalogue of Watches in the British Museum. Vol. V (Unpublished manuscript) Made by Mido Switzerland, c. 1953 A gold cased centre seconds self wound wrist watch with date work and a club tooth lever escapement. Signature: On the dial is 'Mido MULTIFORT DATOMETER GRAND LUXE SUPER - AUTOMATIC MADE IN SWITZERLAND' Case: A two part 14 ct. gold case with a screwed back. Stamped into the case band in a shield cartouche is the Geneva mark - a squirrel with beneath the letter G, this is also stamped on the inside of the back. On the outside of the back is engraved 'NICK A HAPPY PARTNERSHIP SAMHONG KONG 19-5-53'. On the inside of the back is 'Mido LTD SWITZERLAND BRIT. PAT. 385509', in a cartouche 56 14K 0.585. There is also stamped a key with on its flag 11. Between two of the case lugs is another number 6101. Dial & Hands: A silvered dial with the Arabic even numerals luminised and diamond shaped batons for the odd number positions. The minute makings in black with between 1/5th seconds marks. Around the dial edge is the date ring with the days numbered 1 - 31. Stamped into the back of the dial is a circle with beneath a 'W' embracing an 'E', also the number 308 1.(1) Gilt hands with the hour and minute hands skeletonised and filled luminous. The date hand painted white with a crescent tip painted red. Movement: On the front plate under the dial is 'BREVETE' followed by the Helvetia cross, also stamped are 10 minute marks for timing the watch before the dial is applied. Ebauche Marks: On the self winding weight is D 917. Frame: A nickel silver frame with a bridge for the self winding weight, this engraved '17 SEVENTEEN JEWELS'. A bridge for the self winding wheels, with on this 'UNADJUSTED'. The basic movement has a bridge for the keyless and barrel another for the train, this latter carries the buffer springs. A cocks for the balance and another for the pallets. Barrel and Mainspring: The going barrel with a recessed cover. Barrel: I. diameter 8.2 mm., height 1.4 mm. Mainspring: Height 1.4 mm., thickness 0.13 mm. Barrel Arbor: Diameter 2.75 mm., snailed. Hooking: A slipping mainspring. Train: All the wheels gilded, the centre wheel, third and fourth wheels with five crossings. The steel escape wheel with four. Jewelling: Jewelled bearings from the third wheel onwards, all the jewels pressed in. Incabloc shock protection to the balance. Escapement: A straight line layout club tooth lever escapement with short lever, double roller and D-shaped impulse pin. The exposed pallet stones have flat acting faces. A steel escape wheel with four crossings. An equal impulse escapement. No. of teeth embraced 3½. Balance & Spring: A monometallic balance with brass screws. Balance diameter 9.4 mm, thickness 0.6 mm. A 'self compensating' flat spiral spring with 10 turns. Means of Regulation: An 'INCASTAR' device which reels in the balance spring to effect regulation. A type of index carries the whole device so the beat setting can be accomplished. The capstan wheel that is turned to regulate the watch is stamped + and- with a double arrow between. Train Counts and Beat Rate: Great wheel 70 (barrel) Centre wheel 64 pinion 10 Third wheel 60 pinion 8 carries a wheel of 80 to drive the idle centre seconds pinion of 10 Fourth wheel 60 pinion 8 Escape wheel 15 pinion 6 Beat rate 18,000 Motion work: cannon pinion 10 minute wheel 30, minute pinion 8 hour wheel 32 Winding System: Conventional stem set positive keyless work. The bolt spring is broken. Self winding work: The 'L' shaped weight works between buffers and winds in one direction only.(2) The weight carries a ratchet which engages with the first in the train of gears that winds the barrel ratchet wheel. The last wheel whose pinion drives the barrel ratchet wheel has a clutch between the pinion and the wheel thus enabling manual winding to be done without turning the self winding train. Date Work: The date wheel with 31 triangular shaped teeth indexed by a pin on a wheel of 30 this in turn is driven by a wheel of 15 on the hour wheel. Dimensions: Case: Diameter 33.7 mm., height 12.1 mm., over the glass. Movement: diameter 27.8 mm., height 8.8 mm. Provenance: Purchased in 1989 with the aid of funds from the Dingwall Bequest. Note: (1) This is one of the Mido trade marks. (2) See p.267 in Wristwatches.