Hello Raelene,
Thank you for sending in this pocket watch to mearto.com for an appraisal. I shall do my best to help you with that today.
TITLE:
Gent’s, 10K gold plated, Art Deco era, pendant wound and pendant set, savonette, hunting case pocket watch with 24-hour dial, ‘chronometer’ marked on dial, unsigned by the watch maker, case made by ‘MGBM’(Manufacture Genevoise de Boites Montres), watch made in Geneva, Switzerland, circa early 1920’s
DESCRIPTION:
Case: Gent’s 47 mm diameter, pendant wound and set, hunting case pocket watch made of 10k gold plate with embossed vertical striping typical of the Art Deco era. There is a fluted suppressed ball pendant and oval bow at the three position (savonette) opposite the case hinge. Case number 785986. The inside of the cover is marked for the 10k gold plating in French and guaranties the gilt finish to last at least ten years, and carries the mark of the casemaker, MGBM, “Manufacture Genevoise de Boites Montres” of Geneva, Switzerland. {This later became the Geneva Watch Company and was in business from c. 1910-1927.} . .
Dial: White enameled dial with black Breguet hours (1-12), segmented closed minute track with red Arabic hours (13-24), subsidiary seconds @6, steel Continental type spade hands and the upper dial marked, ‘Chronometer’. {Most commonly watches that used 24-hour dials were made in some proximity to a major war, such as World War I. The military use of 24-hour dial watches carried over into civilian life in watches such as these}. . .
Movement: Not shown, but similar examples use a half plate and finger bridge combination movement. FHF made many of their movements. The Doxa watch movements were made by FHF (See history)
Condition:
Case – Moderate wear to the embossed striping on the outer case and scratches on the inside of the covers.
Dial – Very good condition except for wear to the ‘chronometer’ marking in the dial center.
Movement – Not seen but considered original to this case, genuine and functional.
History of FHF:
The Fabrique d'Horlogerie de Fontainemelon was founded in 1793 by Isaac and David Benguerel together with Julien and Francois Humbert-Droz in Fontainemelon under the name "Benguerel & Humbert" and is the oldest Ebauche movement manufacturer in the world. In 1816, FHF started industrial production of watch movements in its first factory, a move which would be the foundation for ETA, today the largest movement manufacture expanded throughout the 19th century, purchasing a factory in Crémant in 1838 to use hydraulic energy from the River Suze and adding steam power in 1862. By 1876, FHF was producing 240,000 Ebauches per year with 400 employees. In 1900, Paul Robert modernized an FHF workshop with American machines, bringing the quality of Swiss watches up to the standard of American factories. FHF merged with Landeron in 1925 and became a founding member of Ebauches SA in 1926.
In the 1950's, FHF was relegated to mass-production of watch movements for Ebauches SA. They introduced a low-priced mechanical option which became the "standard" grade in 1955, and were precluded from advanced developments. By the mid-1960s, the FHF Standard Cal. 608 was the most popular movement in the world, with over 40 million examples produced. In 1979, FHF introduced the mini-quartz, the world's smallest movement.
By 1982, the quartz crisis forced Ebauches SA to reorganize its movement manufacturers. Focus was moved from FHF, and the company was effectively dissolved into ETA in 1985.
COMMENTARY:
Most collectors would refer to this pocket watch as another NO Name Swiss watch. The name ‘Chronometer’ may have simply been used to advertise such watches to the public and not be actual precision chronometers. It was the same as putting the word ‘Regulator’ on the glass of a wall clock. Most were not actual precision regulators. So, this is an unsigned watch with a case made and signed by a little-known company in a non-solid gold case. The value of such watches in general range from $125-$150 of offered on the auction market. Some of the engraving inside the case is not professionally done, and appears amateurish to my eye. Perhaps it was just strengthened.
At any rate, that is the fair market value of your pocket watch. I hope it help you to understand the meaning of the jumble of letters inside the case.
Thank you for using mearto.com
My best,
David