Rare Champleve Dial Austrian Repeater, circa 1705 — view 1 of 6 — View 1 of 6 · Image: Pieces of Time · original image source (opens another website in a new tab)

View 1 of 6 · Image: Pieces of Time · original image source (opens another website in a new tab)

Pocket Watches · Pocket watch

Rare Champleve Dial Austrian Repeater, circa 1705

DocumentedDocumented from a dealer's listing; attribution and date as stated by the dealer.

Maker / attribution: Unrecorded in source
Date: c. 1705
Historical period: Early Modern Horology (1600 – 1750)
Country of origin: Austria
Object type: Pocket watch
Dealer: Pieces of Time (dealer), London
Stock no.: A1334
Credit line: Dealer listing, Pieces of Time (A1334)
Catalogue title (original): Rare Champleve Dial Austrian Repeater (English)

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Record summary

Catalogued by Pieces of Time (dealer), London (stock number A1334), this is a pocket watch, made in Austria, dated c. 1705. The Atlas places it in the Early Modern Horology period (1600 – 1750) 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 — Pieces of Time

A rare early 18 th Century Austrian quarter repeating verge with champleve dial in silver pair cases. Deep full plate fire gilt movement decoratively engraved at the edge. Slender Egyptian pillars with three roundels. Fusee and chain with worm and wheel barrel setup between the plates. Pierced and engraved winged cock with pierced and engraved foot and plate for the gilt regulator disc marked in red. Plain three arm steel balance, the bevelled edge protruding beyond the table of the cock. Small engraved repeating barrel, the last three pinions of the train with five leaves. Push pendant quarter repeating on a bell in the case. Signed silver champleve dial with Roman and Arabic numerals, fine gilt beetle and poker hands. Silver pair cases, long silver push pendant and stirrup bow, split bezel for the glass. The sides of the inner case finely pierced and engraved with birds and foliate decoration. Silver pierced and engraved outer with large circular engraved centre.

Historical context

Early Modern Horology (1600 – 1750)

Huygens' pendulum and balance spring transform accuracy; English makers develop the anchor and deadbeat escapements.

The balance spring (c. 1675) improved watches dramatically and introduced the minute hand. English pair-cased verge watches with pierced balance cocks and French oignons were typical; enamel painting at Blois and Geneva, and the repeating watch (1680s), made watches objects of great refinement.

Read the period in the timeline More pocket watches from this period Earlier: Renaissance Horology

Atlas type guide

Repeating watches

Before electric light, telling the time in the dark was a real problem. Repeating watches strike the time on demand when a slide or push-piece is operated: quarter repeaters sound hours and quarters, minute repeaters hours, quarters and minutes. Edward Barlow and Daniel Quare disputed the invention in London in the 1680s. Early repeaters struck on a bell inside the case; Abraham-Louis Breguet introduced the gong (a coiled steel wire) around 1780, allowing thinner watches.

Repeaters require a separate train with racks, snails and a governor to control the striking speed, and are among the most demanding complications to make and adjust. Swiss makers of the Vallée de Joux specialised in repeating ébauches in the nineteenth century.

What to look for

A slide on the case band or a push-piece through the pendant.
Gongs encircling the movement (after c. 1780) or a bell in the case (earlier); pierced case for sound.
The racks, snails and governor visible under the dial or on the movement.
Terms such as 'Minutes', 'Quarts' or 'Répétition' on the dial or cuvette.

Dating clues

Bell-striking quarter repeaters: c. 1690–1800.
Gong repeaters and dumb repeaters (striking on the case): after c. 1780.
Minute repeaters became more common after c. 1830 with Vallée de Joux ébauches.

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.

Mechanisms mentioned

Verge escapement — Escapement
Fusee — Component
Plates, cocks and bridges — Component
Minute repeater — Complication

Record completeness

Maker or attributionNot in source
DateRecorded
Place or countryRecorded
MaterialsNot in source
DimensionsNot in source
Narrative descriptionRecorded
Inscriptions / marksNot in source
ProvenanceNot in source
Several photographsRecorded

Editorial status: Documented — facts as published by the source; not independently verified by Atlas editors.

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Sources & image rights

Record source: Pieces of Time (dealer), London (opens another website in a new tab).

Image rights: © Pieces of Time — dealer photographs; permission required (opens another website in a new tab).

Images are hosted by the Atlas for study and credited to their owner. Rights holders may request correction, credit changes or removal, or grant permission, via the editorial office.

Cite this record

"Rare Champleve Dial Austrian Repeater, circa 1705." Pieces of Time (dealer), London, A1334. Catalogue record in The Horology Atlas, WatchMuseum.org, https://atlas.watchmuseum.org/museum/rare-champleve-dial-austrian-repeater-circa-1705-1612d3.