Hello Steve,
Thank you for sending in your pocket watch to mearto.com for an appraisal. I shall try to help you with that today.
TITLE:
Brown/tan tortoiseshell veneer with metal studs, white metal (perhaps) silvered copper/brass, pair case, verge & fusee, key wound and set, open face pocket watch, unsigned dial and unsigned movement, Continental origin probably Swiss made for export to German/Austrian market, circa 1800. Accompanied by a short ringlet silvered watch chain and French style key.
DESCRIPTION:
Cases/Condition: 50mm diameter outer case which has brown and tan tortoiseshell veneer over a white metal hinged outer case with metal pique work around the periphery of the back cover. The metal studs were decorative and also served the function of attaching the outer covering to the metal case. The veneer of the back of the outer case is cracked across the diameter of that cover showing separation of the fracture rather than a hairline crack.
The inside of the cover has a dark colored watch paper with only one word semi-legible, ‘chronomacher’, which would indicate it was repaired or retailed by a German or Austrian watchmaker or jeweler. There is an opening in the outer case to allow the stem of the pendant to pass through this part of the case. The inner case is white metal, perhaps silvered brass or copper. Although it is all white metal the green oxidation that I can see indicates that there is an underlying copper or brass alloy case. The marking that I can see is an ‘AD’ within a diamond shaped cameo. There were AD trademarks in both Switzerland and France, but only one maker used their AD within a diamond shaped design and that was one of the Didisheims, perhaps Arthur, but his firm was working late in the 19th century to belong to this watch. Inner case with punctate oxidation, badly cracked tortoiseshell veneering, illegible watch paper. (If this trademark does represent Arthur Didisheim, working in 1899, then this may be a marriage of outer and inner cases, and the value below would be a good deal less than is provided. I have valued this watch as if the outer and inner cases belong together.)
Dial: A white enameled dial with Roman hours, closed bar minute track with Arabic markers placed every fifteen minutes around the periphery of the dial. A single aperture with winding arbor is located between the six and ten minute markers at the base of the hours (this is seen in French, German/Austrian and Swiss key wound watches made in the late 18th and early 19th centuries). The fenestrated gilt Fleur-de-Lys hands are in the French manner. The dial is unsigned. There is some chipping around the edge of the dial in the lower right quadrant, probably obscured by the bezel when it is closed. There are other smaller areas of chipping at the edges. Several scuff marks on the dial but no fractures. Dial has flaws and is in fair condition, but unsigned. Crystal has scratches.
Movement: A verge escapement with associated contrate wheel and, although I cannot see the fusee well in these photos, I see a small section of what looks like a fusee movement. The plates are separated by short segmental concave brass Egyptian pillars without pierced decorative plate work. A brass balance bridge with an open foliate pierced foliate design is secured by two screws at opposite poles of the balance cock (French or Swiss origin). The silvered regulator is adjacent. The movement plates are unsigned. The movement appears to be in good condition with lack of signature, likely pointing to a Swiss origin.
Overall Condition is Fair, at best.
COMPARABLES:
https://www.liveauctioneers.com/item/44960643_early-swiss-pair-case (sold for $160 in 2016)
https://www.liveauctioneers.com/item/8140797_600-silver-pair-cased-swiss-watch-marked-thr-hills-r (Sold for $400 in 2010)
https://www.liveauctioneers.com/item/26632132_a-triple-cased-open-faced-pocket-watch-a-swiss-copy-of (Signed and sold for $417 in 2014)
https://www.barnebys.com/realized-prices/lot/swiss-a-silver-pocket-watch-with-decorated-tortoiseshell-outer-case-no-11930-circa-1800-HectXiwo1 (Brought $1125 in 2011 and likely would sell for a good deal less today.)
https://www.invaluable.com/auction-lot/pocket-watch-very-heavy-3-part-verge-watch-for-th-4214-c-8b24db382a (A three case English example sold for 1100 euros in 2020, and is a much finer watch than the Subject example.)
https://www.invaluable.com/auction-lot/harman-pair-case-verge-pocket-watch-tortoiseshell-1363-c-4a94d3e91a (Harmon pair brass case watch sold for 360 GBPounds in 2020)
PRICING:
Given the barely fair condition of the watch and the lack of a signed dial or movement I would say that the fair market value of this likely Swiss-made example
Would fall into the $300-$400 range. Retail value would be somewhat higher, although retailers might be turned off by the badly cracked Tortoiseshell. (Our website automatically doubles the fair market value for a retail price for insurance, but in this case that is probably not a true value.)
Thank you for choosing mearto.com for your pocket watch appraisal.
My best,
David