
Pocket Watches · Pocket watch
Skeletonised quarter-repeating verge watch with glass dial
- Maker / attribution
- Unrecorded in source
- Date
- 1760
- Historical period
- Precision & Scientific Horology (1750 – 1850)
- Country of origin
- Switzerland
- Object type
- Pocket watch
- Dimensions
- Diameter 42 mm
- Dealer
- WatchMuseum.org shop
- Stock no.
- Product 1546
- Credit line
- Dealer listing, WatchMuseum.org shop (product 1546)
- Catalogue title (original)
- Skeletonised Repeating Pocket Watch with glass dial (English)
Editor's note
Title tidied; the listing describes the movement as a Swiss quarter-repeating verge.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 1546), this is a pocket watch, made in Switzerland, dated 1760. The Atlas places it in the Precision & Scientific Horology period (1750 – 1850) of its Pocket Watches collection. Recorded dimensions: Diameter 42 mm. 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
Introducing a masterpiece of horological artistry, the Skeletonised Repeating Pocket Watch with a glass dial, dating back to 1760, is an exquisite embodiment of 18th-century Swiss craftsmanship. This rare and magnificent timepiece is a skeletonised quarter repeating Swiss verge, set within a consular case that is lavishly adorned with precious stones, offering a glimpse into the intricate workings that lie beneath. The watch features a full plate fusee movement supported by three round pillars, with the plate and barrel cover meticulously pierced and engraved to reveal the intricate trains and the striking blue steel mainspring. The engraved cock and polished steel coqueret, embellished with a garnet, alongside a small circular blue steel regulator, are geared to a plate that carries the index pins, showcasing the meticulous attention to detail. A plain three-arm steel balance and a push pendant mechanism allow for a toc quarter repeating on two blocks within the case, adding to the watch’s functional elegance. The standout feature of this timepiece is its rare glass dial, which not only highlights the polished steel quarter repeating work beneath but also enhances the aesthetic appeal with underpainted white Arabic numerals and decorative gold hands. Encased in a double-sided two-colour gold consular case with bezels set with a row of white stones, this watch is not only a rarity for its period but also a highly desirable collector’s item due to its unique design elements. Signed Swiss, this watch, with a diameter of 42mm and a depth of 12mm, stands as a testament to the exceptional craftsmanship and innovative design of the era, making it a truly unique and stunning addition to any collection. This magnificent watch is a rare 18th Century skeletonised quarter repeating Swiss verge that comes with a glass dial set in a consular case adorned with precious stones. The watch boasts a full plate fusee movement with three round pillars. The plate and barrel cover are intricately pierced and engraved, revealing the trains and blue steel mainspring. The engraved cock and polished steel coqueret are set with a garnet, and a small circular blue steel regulator is geared to a plate carrying the index pins. The watch has a plain three-arm steel balance and a push pendant that works as a toc quarter repeating on two blocks in the case. What makes this watch unique is the rare glass dial, which uncovers the polished steel quarter repeating work underneath. The underpainted white Arabic numerals and decorative gold hands are a beautiful touch. The double-sided two-colour gold consular case has bezels set with a row of white stones, completing this exquisite timepiece. This skeletonised repeating watch is a rarity for the period, and the use of the glass dial to show the quarter repeating work makes it even more desirable. The watch is signed Swiss and is believed to have been produced around 1760. With a diameter of 42mm, and a depth of 12mm, this watch is truly a unique and stunning collector’s item. Signed Swiss Circa 1760 Diameter 42 mm Depth 12 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.
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