Reply With QuoteThe movement has a bit of an Audemars look about it. These were imported to be cased during the period you are interested in. Ask Webwatchmaker maybe?
I bought this ladies fob watch for my wife some years ago simply because she liked it but with time on my hands now I thought I might try to find out a little about it and hope some of you learned gents out there may be able to help.
I know nothing about watches of this age but I think (from my research) that it is a Cylinder Escapement Movement with Wolf Winding. As the pictures show the back is engraved with a crown (Norwegian Style?) below which is
To The Queen Harry Emanuel
Brook Street Hanover Square
On the opposite side are hallmarks and a number (20784)
The watch is Half Hunter style and is about 3cm in diameter.
I have found the following about Harry Emanuel which suggests he was not a watchmaker so probably just cased a movement between 1855 and 1873.
Harry Emanuel (French; British; Male; Active 1855 -1873)
Hanover Square, London, England
Jewellery retailer continuing a family business that began in 1802 with Joel Emanuel. Specialised in the selling of diamonds, expensive jewellery, objects of vertu and silverware. Appeared at the International Exhibition of 1862 and the Paris Exhibition of 1867. In 1865 published 'Diamonds and Precious Stones'. Achieved great renown and so was bestowed titles such as 'gold and silversmith to the Queen & Prince of Wales' (1862-64) until his retirement, at which time his remaining stock was sold at Christie's (17th-21st December 1873). Died 1898.
tz1.jpgIMG_tz2.jpg
I don't seem to be able to add the 3rd image of the engraving.
Last edited by BDC; 8th April 2020 at 16:45.
The movement has a bit of an Audemars look about it. These were imported to be cased during the period you are interested in. Ask Webwatchmaker maybe?
Thanks Aldfort,Originally Posted by aldfort
Yes it does have the Vallée Joux look about it. Particularly the Wolf teeth and winding ratchet spring screwed to the side of the barrel plate. If you're lucky it may be signed Lecoultre under the dial.
Believe it or not JleC sent me their latest history books months ago and I still haven't unwrapped the cellophane on them ! Maybe it's time I did.
*For some reason tapatalk won't let me upload photos. I will investigate.
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Finally damned tapatalk allowed me to post a photo after signing up again !!!
Here's one of my own early Lecoultre cylinder watches. From around 1900.
Similar ratchet.
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Was sure you'd be able to cast a little light on the matter.
Thanks for your thoughts on the watch.
As I said, I bought it with no idea what it was simply because my wife liked it in an antique shop when I was looking at an old Advisor alarm watch (my interest). She wears it every few weeks and it keeps good time but with only about 18-20 hours on a wind.
I will try to take some better photos tomorrow and see if I can work out how to post more than 2 at a time.
I'm not sure if these are much better but here goes.
I don't know why I can only do 2 pictures at a time or why they are links rather than pictures but that just shows how bad I am with IT.
Here is another 1.
- - - Updated - - -
I don't know why I can only do 2 pictures at a time or why they are links rather than pictures but that just shows how bad I am with IT.
Here is another 1.
It's not you ! You can only upload two photos at a time unless you buy an account with tapatalk.
The watch is very nice. Pendant rather than key wound. Can you show a photo with case front closed and hallmark please ?
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Are these the ones?
Need a clearer pic of the hallmarks to make any headway.
Yes. The hallmark looks vaguely like the Birmingham anchor. A bit out of focus.
Am I right ? What's the date letter ?
Very lovely early Swiss watch.
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Haha. Great minds think alike.
Or as my grandma would say: 'Fools never differ !".
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Clearly I need to find a tutorial on posting pictures as I cannot match the 'how to post pictures' to anything on Photobucket and simply resizing in Paint still leaves images of around 2.0mb. However I have tried cropping and adjusting the pixels/inch and will see if this gives a decent image.
Good picture. I guess PR was the case maker. I don't recognise the G logo.
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You need to either upload the pictures in Tapatalk (using the icon that looks like 2
mountains and the sun) or host them on a service like Imgur and embed them as images. Don’t use the paperclip icon to attach them.
Are there any other marks. I'm having real trouble.
The K could be a date letter
London 1885
Birmingham 1859
Sheffield 1853
The 18 could be a purity mark.
I can find a UK reference to [P R] or the ( G ) mark anywhere.
The picture is truly terrible but it might just show the anchor and the gothic g mark for 1881.
It has to be around the 1900s to be pendant wound. Unless one has been watching American cowboy films ! Wristwatches in the 1850s !
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Thanks for your help and observations but it looks as if I'll have to give up and just let my wife enjoy wearing her pendant watch.
Harry Emanuel was only active between 1855 and 1873 and the only hallmark for that period seems to be Birmingham in 1859 but the winding seems to suggest around 1900.
I suppose it could be some sort of mish-mash of a case and movement put together more recently.
I'll now go away and try to work out how to post pictures as "A guide to posting pictures" from Aug 2007 seems to have been superseded.
I will investigate Imgur as I assume TapaTalk is for mobile devices rather than PC's.
I have been using my 12 week self isolation (over 70 and taking Immunosuppressants) to review my collection of Mechanical Alarms and concluded that I do not need over 60 so I plan to cull them down to about a dozen that I can wear regularly but I will need lots of pics for sales posts in due course.
Best of luck. Feel free to send me a PM re Imgur if I can help.
Me too. It's possibly a re-case but would need close examination to be sure.
Either way, a lovely watch to enjoy.
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Testing I may have it sorted!
Ok - so you have it sorted. I'd be happy to do a little more digging if it's helpful.
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