Pocket Watches · Pocket watch
Longines Calderoni Sector Dial Pocket Watch, circa 1934
- Maker / attribution
- Longines (maker)
- Date
- c. 1934
- Historical period
- Golden Age of Mechanical Watchmaking (1900 – 1945)
- Country of origin
- Switzerland
- Object type
- Pocket watch
- Stock no.
- vws3334
- Credit line
- Dealer listing, Vintage Watch Specialist (vws3334)
- Catalogue title (original)
- Very Rare Longines Calderoni Sector Dial Pocket Watch - c.1934 (English)
View the source record (dealer listing) ↗ (opens another website in a new tab)Suggest a correction
Record summary
Catalogued by Vintage Watch Specialist (dealer), United Kingdom (stock number vws3334), this is a pocket watch by Longines, made in Switzerland, dated c. 1934. The Atlas places it in the Golden Age of Mechanical Watchmaking period (1900 – 1945) of its Pocket Watches collection. 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 — Vintage Watch Specialist
A Beautifully Preserved 1930s Dual Signed Longines Calderoni Pocket Watch in Original Condition, The Perfect Gift! Calderoni Watches, a name synonymous with Italian craftsmanship and elegance, date back to the late 19th century. Founded in Milan, Italy, Calderoni began as a small watchmaking atelier. The brand quickly garnered a reputation for its meticulous attention to detail and innovative designs, influenced by Italy's rich artistic heritage. Longines, a renowned Swiss watchmaker, was founded in 1832 by Auguste Agassiz in the town of Saint-Imier, Switzerland. Initially, it operated as a watch comptoir, utilizing the expertise of local craftsmen who worked independently. By 1867, Longines had built its own factory under the guidance of Agassiz's nephew, Ernest Francillon, marking the start of in-house production and streamlining the manufacturing process. What's on Offer A very collectable piece, this beautifully preserved pocket watch is dual-signed by Longines and Calderoni and is in incredible shape given its age! The Art Deco style dial has taken on some imperfections over time but the stark black printing is crisp and the elegant leaf hands in blued steel are a nice detail. The case and crown are in fantastic shape and the meaty proportions mean this pocket watch could easily be mounted to create a stylish desk watch. Pocket watches make a beautiful gift or keepsake and this example in such fine condition could bring much joy to any vintage collector!
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
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