Hello Anabel,
Thank you for sending in your pocket watch purchase to mearto.com for an appraisal. I shall try to help you with that today.
TITLE:
Gent’s 18k yellow gold, pendant wound and set, Art Nouveau, keyless, open face pocket watch with unsigned dial, case signed 18k, case no. 64746 and movement with matching S/N 64746, made by Patek Philippe & Co., Geneva, made for export, circa 1880-1885.
DESCRIPTION:
CASE – Size not provided but estimated at 49-52 mm diameter, three leaf, 18k polished gold with the back cover designed in a foliate form suggesting the Art Nouveau era (c. 1880-1910) which stressed natural forms of flora and fauna. The inside of the back cover is marked ‘Warranted 18k’ but has no evidence of the name Patek Philippe nor Swiss hallmarks, the latter required by law. The cuvette is unsigned. There is a fluted gold pendant and round bow placed at the twelve position. . .
DIAL - White enameled dial with “stylized and tumbling’ Arabic hours, closed bar outer minute ring with five-minute red Arabic markers placed every five minutes along the periphery, sunken subsidiary seconds @6 with no seconds hand. Gilt "Louis XVth" hands with the minute hand broken. . .
MOVEMENT – Approximated to be 45 mm. (20''' lignes), a partial gilt plate and finger bridge movement, likely 17 jewels, straight line lever escapement, cut bimetallic compensation balance, pendant wound and pendant set (an early example of pendant winding), Wolf’s tooth winding and Mustache lever escapement, signed on the barrel wheel bridge, “Patek Philippe & Co. Geneva, 64746", index regulator with the measure rule on the curved center wheel bridge marked for faster and slower. Signed only on the movement, not on the case, cuvette or dial. . .
CONDITION:
Case - Significant wear to the back cover. The interior of the cover has the proper case number, matching the movement, but no signs of Swiss hallmarks, which is expected in this type of case. The cuvette is not shown clearly and is not marked by Patek Philippe, also unusual. . .
Dial – This dial with its “stylized and tumbling’ Arabic numerals suggests a type of dial seen during the Art Deco years of c. 1920-1940, not 1880s. P.P did make dials that were unsigned and those watches were usually exported to Europe or Asia rather to England and America. I believe this dial is a replacement, not made by Patek Philippe. Broken minute hand and missing seconds hand with a small porcelain chip in the center of the seconds bit. . .
Movement - Appears to be a genuine early keyless movement made by P.P & Co for export. It has some wear. The regulator index pointer is way off the mark of where is should sit, which is along the ruler seen on the curved center wheel bridge. Patek tended to use much more sophisticated regulators than what I see here (perhaps that is replaced).
CONCLUSION:
This is a late 19th century pocket watch with early Patek parts. The dial is not made by Patek Philippe and has broken or missing hands. Swiss gold hallmarks missing. I will accept the movement as being made by Patek for sure and the case as a very good possibility as well, but not the dial. That really hurts the value of this piece if sold on the watch market which is how I price the watch. . .
In good original condition with no replacement of major parts (dial, case, movement) this type of watch would sell at auction for $3000-$3750. In 2012, in Switzerland, a similar example with unsigned dial did not make it to the minimum of $3000. In 2019, one P.P gold pocket watch, slightly smaller, with a proper, but unsigned dial and 18k case sold for $1700. Another 18k gold example with unsigned dial, unsigned movement and P.P signed cuvette sold in 2019 for $2000. Your example with the replaced, atypical dial with its missing and broken hands, and all the rest, case and movement accepted as correct, would sell at auction today for $800-$1200, in my opinion.
I hope that has been of some help to you. If you plan to sell this item you should have the hand fixed and a new subsidiary seconds bit replaced before you put it on the market.
My best,
David