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Gold Swiss Verge with Offset Decorative Gold Dial, c. 1820 — view 1 of 4
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Pocket Watches · Pocket watch

Gold Swiss Verge with Offset Decorative Gold Dial, c. 1820

DocumentedDocumented from a dealer's listing; attribution and date as stated by the dealer.
Maker / attribution
Unrecorded in source
Date
c. 1820
Country of origin
Switzerland
Object type
Pocket watch
Materials / technique
gold
Stock no.
Product 4631
Credit line
Dealer listing, WatchMuseum.org shop (product 4631)
Catalogue title (original)
Gold Swiss Verge with Offset Decorative Gold Dial (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 4631), this is a pocket watch, made in Switzerland, dated c. 1820. The Atlas places it in the Precision & Scientific Horology period (1750 – 1850) of its Pocket Watches collection. Materials and techniques recorded by the source: gold. 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 — WatchMuseum.org shop

Step back in time with the exquisite Gold Swiss Verge Pocket Watch, a masterful creation from circa 1820 that epitomizes the elegance and craftsmanship of early 19th-century horology. This remarkable timepiece boasts a unique offset three-color gold dial, adorned with intricate floral motifs and polished gold Roman numerals, all set against the backdrop of blue steel hands. At its heart lies a full plate gilt fusee movement, featuring a finely pierced and engraved bridge cock alongside a plain three-arm gilt balance, ensuring both precision and beauty. The silver regulator dial, complete with a blue steel indicator, adds a touch of sophistication. Encased in an 18-carat gold open face case, the watch showcases an engine-turned back and is further embellished with decorative engravings on the middle, bezels, pendant, and bow. With a diameter of 45 mm and a depth of 8 mm, this anonymous Swiss masterpiece is not just a timekeeper but a testament to the artistry and technical prowess of its era. This is a beautiful early 19th century Swiss verge pocket watch with a unique offset three-color gold dial. The watch features a full plate gilt fusee movement, with a finely pierced and engraved bridge cock and a plain three-arm gilt balance. The silver regulator dial has a blue steel indicator. The gold dial is decorated with floral motifs in two colors, with applied polished gold Roman numerals and blue steel hands. The watch is housed in an 18 carat gold open face case, with an engine turned back and decorative engravings on the middle, bezels, pendant, and bow. Anonymous Swiss Circa 1820 Diameter 45 mm Depth 8 mm

Historical context

Precision & Scientific Horology (1750 – 1850)

Harrison solves longitude; Mudge invents the lever; Breguet's Paris workshop defines the modern watch.

From 1750 to 1850 the watch became a precision instrument. Mudge's lever escapement, the cylinder escapement, Lépine's thin bar calibre, Breguet's innovations (overcoil, tourbillon, perpétuelle) and the pocket chronometer of Arnold and Earnshaw all date from this period, while verge watches remained common in cheaper production.

Read the period in the timelineMore pocket watches from this periodEarlier: Early Modern Horology

Atlas type guide

Verge and pair-cased watches

After Christiaan Huygens and Robert Hooke applied the balance spring around 1675, the verge watch became a reasonably reliable timekeeper and the minute hand became standard. Through the eighteenth century the typical English watch was a pair-cased verge: a fusee movement with a pierced, engraved balance cock, housed in an inner case and a separate protective outer case, often of repoussé gold, shagreen, tortoiseshell or enamel.

French watches of the same period were thicker 'oignons', later replaced by elegant thinner watches following Jean-Antoine Lépine's bar-bridge calibre of c. 1770. Dutch, Swiss and German makers supplied international markets, and verge watches were made until the mid-nineteenth century as cheaper alternatives to the cylinder and lever.

What to look for

  • The pierced balance cock on the backplate: winged (continental) or with a foot (English); its style dates the watch.
  • Fusee and chain visible through the movement; key winding through the dial (early) or case back.
  • Hallmarks inside English silver or gold cases, which give a date letter.
  • Maker's name and serial number engraved on the backplate; watch papers inside outer cases.
  • Enamel dials (after c. 1720) versus earlier champlevé metal dials.

Dating clues

  • Champlevé dials: c. 1680–1730; white enamel dials thereafter.
  • English case hallmarks give the year of assay to within a year.
  • Verge watches persisted in cheap production until c. 1850.

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:Balance spring (hairspring)Verge escapement

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