
Pocket Watches · Pocket watch
Silver Calendar Verge Pocket Watch, c. 1800
- Maker / attribution
- Unrecorded in source
- Date
- c. 1800
- Historical period
- Precision & Scientific Horology (1750 – 1850)
- Country of origin
- Unrecorded in source
- Object type
- Pocket watch
- Materials / technique
- silver
- Dealer
- WatchMuseum.org shop
- Stock no.
- Product 4529
- Credit line
- Dealer listing, WatchMuseum.org shop (product 4529)
- Catalogue title (original)
- Silver Calendar Verge Pocket Watch (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 4529), this is a pocket watch, dated c. 1800. The Atlas places it in the Precision & Scientific Horology period (1750 – 1850) of its Pocket Watches collection. Materials and techniques recorded by the source: silver. 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
The Silver Calendar Verge Pocket Watch, Circa 1800, is a stunning example of early 19th-century French horological artistry, capturing the elegance and precision of its era. This exquisite timepiece features a silver drum-shaped case that houses a full plate gilt fusee movement, highlighting the intricate craftsmanship synonymous with the period. The watch boasts a beautifully pierced and engraved bridge cock with a steel coqueret, and a plain three-arm gilt balance wheel with a blue steel spiral hairspring, showcasing the meticulous attention to detail. One of its standout features is the silver regulator dial with a blue steel indicator, adding a touch of luxury to its overall design. The white enamel dial, adorned with Arabic numerals and subsidiary dials for seconds, date, and day in French, is complemented by gilt hands with blue steel accents. The open face case, shaped like a drum, is made of plain silver and features a sizable top plate that complements the large dial plate, with the movement secured within by two screws. The back of the case bears the maker’s mark “J – B” over “M” in a diamond, along with French hallmarks, further attesting to its authenticity and historical significance. Signed by Breguet a Paris, this 51 mm diameter watch is not just a timepiece but a true masterpiece of horological craftsmanship, making it a highly desirable collector’s item. This exquisite timepiece is a French verge watch from the early 19th Century. It boasts several unique features, including a calendar and seconds display. The watch is housed in a silver drum-shaped case, adding to its elegance. The movement of the watch is a full plate gilt fusee, showcasing the intricate craftsmanship of the time. It features a beautifully pierced and engraved bridge cock with a steel coqueret. The balance wheel is a plain three-arm gilt balance with a blue steel spiral hairspring. One of the standout features of this watch is the silver regulator dial with a blue steel indicator. This adds a touch of luxury to the overall design. The dial itself is white enamel with Arabic numerals and subsidiary dials for seconds, date, and day in French. The hands are gilt with blue steel accents, enhancing the overall aesthetic of the watch. The open face case is particularly interesting, as it is shaped like a drum. It is made of plain silver and has a sizable top plate, which complements the large dial plate. The movement is secured within the case with two screws. The back of the case bears the maker’s mark “J – B” over “M” in a diamond, along with French hallmarks. This early 19th Century French verge watch with a calendar and seconds is a true masterpiece of horological craftsmanship. Its unique design and intricate details make it a highly desirable collector’s item. Signed : Breguet a Paris Circa 1800 Diameter : 51 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:Verge escapement
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