Hello Christopher,
Thank you once again for sending in this wristwatch to mearto.com for an appraisal.
TITLE:
Ladies, manually wound, shock proofed, antimagnetic, gold-plated bracelet wristwatch, made by Plaza Geneve, a small company started in 1962 by Mme, Jacqueline Boucon, owner of a microbrand the Plaza Geneve company, in Genf (German for Geneva) Switzerland.
PROVENANCE:
From his grandparents.
DESCRIPTION:
CASE: Size not provided but it appears to be a lady’s wristwatch and probably 20-25mm in diameter. It is a round watch case with fluted gold-plated bezel and straight lugs, typical of the 1960s. There is a fluted steel crown for manual winding and a screwed down case back cover with nothing engraved or written on the back. (18k marks were not etched onto the metal they were stamped in such a manner that they stayed visible.) Six screws hold the cover in place and help make the case water resistant. The straight lugs connect with a horseshoe shaped link to the three-link wide gold plated link bracelet and uses a double clasp to close and fit properly. There are no hallmarks on the clasp. The links are shaped like gilt capsules each attached to a vertical liner narrow link on each side and it is the central link that fold and bends rather than any action on the part of the side links.
DIAL: round silvered metal dial with applied Arabic 12 and 6 with the remainder of the hours having applied gilt baton indices. There are short gilt baton hands. The dial is enameled Plaza Geneve, 17 jewels above and Incabloc (shock proofing) below the dial center.
Movement: Not shown but most likely a version of the versatile caliber AS 1130 made starting in 1955 and 1960 for many different watch companies. This was the men’s version but they made movements for ladies as well. Usually, they would have a lever escapement with 17 jewels, Incabloc shock proofing. They were essentially a flat nickel split three quarter plate movement with Swiss index regulator.
CONDITION: Case – Moderate scratches to the back f the case and the bezel.
Dial: Poor condition with very hazy crystal, scuffs and rubs on the silvered dial and loss of words or parts of words on the dial. The baton hands look like they fall a bit short for this dial.
Movement – Not evaluated.
eBay has a good photo of the type of movement I refer to: https://www.ebay.com/itm/174783230621 (Offered for $50 in a gent’s size and in much better condition than this subject example.)
https://www.ebay.com/itm/144333626725?hash=item219af45d65:g:brcAAOSwLslhu15W
(SOLD ON EBAY FOR $24.50)
HISTORY:
Mikrolisk (A WEBSITE FOR SWISS WATCH NAMES) records the wordmark "Plaza Geneve" as being registered in April 1962 to the manufacturer Boucon of Geneva, Switzerland. I can find no further details on the manufacturer (other than it also owned the wordmark "Leda Geneve") but it was likely one of many family firms that popped up in the mid-1940s and closed in the 1970s.
One of the hundreds of "microbrands" from a time before the word was even thought of.
These were generic blanks purchased by an entrepreneur and even small watch companies, and dials marked for sale as "their watch brand". I'm betting on it containing an AS1130 or similar movement.
PRICING:
The fair market price on this ladies Plaza Geneve wristwatch with bracelet would fall into the range of $30-$50.
Thank you choosing mearto.com for your appraisal.
My best,
David