Pocket Watches · Pocket watch
Pearl Set Gold and Enamel Verge, 1830
- Maker / attribution
- Unrecorded in source
- Date
- 1830
- Historical period
- Precision & Scientific Horology (1750 – 1850)
- Country of origin
- Unrecorded in source
- Object type
- Pocket watch
- Materials / technique
- gold, enamel, pearl
- Dealer
- WatchMuseum.org shop
- Stock no.
- Product 1429
- Credit line
- Dealer listing, WatchMuseum.org shop (product 1429)
- Catalogue title (original)
- Pearl Set Gold and Enamel Verge (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 1429), this is a pocket watch, dated 1830. 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, enamel, pearl. The record is illustrated with 3 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 19th century with the exquisite PEARL SET GOLD AND ENAMEL VERGE pocket watch, a masterful creation from circa 1830 that exemplifies the artistry and precision of Swiss horology. This stunning timepiece, with its petite 29mm diameter, boasts a full plate gilt fusee movement, meticulously pierced and engraved with a bridge cock and steel coqueret. The watch’s plain three-arm gilt balance is complemented by a blue steel spiral hairspring, ensuring accurate timekeeping. The silver regulator dial, adorned with a blue steel indicator and Arabic numerals, allows for winding through the fully restored white enamel dial, accentuated by elegant gilt hands. Encased in an 18-carat full hunter case, this piece is adorned with pearl-set bezels and a ribbed middle, while the translucent dark blue enamel covers feature a captivating geometric iridescent pattern. A rectangular gold pendant with a discreet button at the top facilitates the opening of the front cover, adding to the watch’s functional beauty. Signed and crafted in Switzerland, this pocket watch is not just a timepiece but a testament to the intricate craftsmanship and timeless design of its era. This is a beautiful 19th Century Swiss verge pocket watch with a small 29mm diameter. It features a full plate gilt fusee movement, which has been finely pierced and engraved with a bridge cock and steel coqueret. The plain three arm gilt balance has a blue steel spiral hairspring. The silver regulator dial has a blue steel indicator and Arabic numerals, with the watch winding through the fully restored white enamel dial via gilt hands. The 18 carat full hunter case is small and features pearl-set bezels and a ribbed middle. The translucent dark blue enamel covers are decorated with a geometric iridescent pattern. A rectangular gold pendant with a small button in the top is used to open the front cover. This Swiss-made pocket watch dates back to around 1830 and is a charming example of the artistry and craftsmanship of the era. Signed Swiss Circa 1830 Diameter 29 mm Materials Enamel Gold
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:Verge escapement
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