Antique Le Phare pocket watch chronograph
Record status
Individual type · partial
Period
c1910
Maker / issuer
Le PhareAccording to the seller, this open-face pocket watch chronograph is powered by the stem-winding Le Phare calibre 114 VCC movement. The watch features a 50mm nickel case with an acrylic crystal.
Its white dial bears the inscription 'PRODUCTION PAR HEURE' alongside graduated calculation tracks designed to compute average hourly production output. It displays time using Arabic numerals, with subsidiary dials recording constant seconds at 6 o'clock and up to 30 chronograph minutes at 12 o'clock, operated through a pusher located atop the winding crown.
Evidence at a glance
- Linked sources
- 1
- Photograph views
- 1
- Catalogue references
- 0
Counts describe this entry’s documentation, not authenticity, rarity or completeness. Photographs may show one specimen; check each caption and licence.
Technical characteristics
- Type
- Chronograph pocket watch
- Case Diameter
- 50mm
- Case Material
- Nickel
- Place recorded
- Switzerland
- Dial Inscription
- PRODUCTION PAR HEURE
- Movement Calibre
- Le Phare calibre 114 VCC
- Chronograph Control
- Button on winding crown
- Maker / attribution
- Le Phare
Design
- Visible features
- • Open-face pocket watch with top crown pusher and bow. • White dial featuring an outer 'PRODUCTION PAR HEURE' scale, inner red track, Arabic hour numerals, and minute division track. • Subsidiary 30-minute counter positioned below 12 o'clock and constant seconds dial positioned above 6 o'clock. • Poire-style hour and minute hands with a counterpoised central chronograph seconds hand.
- Case and Configuration
- This open-face pocket watch features a nickel case measuring 50 mm in diameter, excluding the winding stem and suspension loop. The dial is fitted with an acrylic lens. Operation of the chronograph complication is integrated directly into the winding crown via a top-mounted push button that starts, stops, and resets the chronograph mechanism.
- Dial and Production Scale
- The white dial features Arabic hour numerals, minute divisions, and two subsidiary dials: a 30-minute totalizer below 12 o'clock and a continuous running seconds counter above 6 o'clock. Visual observation shows poire-style hour and minute hands accompanied by a central chronograph seconds hand. The dial displays the inscription 'PRODUCTION PAR HEURE' alongside graduated calculation tracks. The seller explains that this scale was intended to calculate output by timing an activity from start to completion, allowing the chronograph hand to indicate an average hourly production rate.
- Reported Movement and Operating Limitations
- The seller reports that the watch is powered by a stem-winding Le Phare calibre 114 VCC movement, noting that a hunter-case version was also manufactured under calibre 114 CC. Internal movement markings, caliber stamps, and bridge engravings are not documented in the available imagery. The listing notes specific mechanical operating cautions: when reset, the chronograph hand comes to rest slightly to the right of zero, and the chronograph complication is not intended to run continuously.
Identification
- Reference
- 114 VCC
- Source note
- Facts transcribed from the linked source listing or collection record. Attribution and specifications are source-reported and have not been independently authenticated.
Catalogue references
No catalogue numbers recorded. Numbers are only published once transcribed from a verified edition of a standard catalogue — they are never inferred.
Research required
- Research required: The dealer states that when reset, the chronograph hand aligns slightly to the right of zero.
- Research required: Movement calibre identification (calibre 114 VCC) is source-reported and not directly observable from the dial view.