Chinese Market Gold and Enamel Captains Watch
Record status
Individual type · partial
Period
circa 1820
This gold, open-face pocket watch was manufactured in Switzerland circa 1820, specifically for the Chinese market. It features a decorative case with a multi-colored enamel painting of a couple with a child on the reverse.
The bezel and bow are embellished with red, white, and blue champlevé enamel. The watch has a white enamel dial with two subsidiary dials showing Roman numerals for dual time zone tracking. It includes a central seconds hand and a subsidiary seconds indicator. The movement is key-wound with gilded, engraved plates, a suspended barrel, and a crab-tooth duplex escapement designed to simulate a ticking seconds movement.
A protective glass cover with a gilded, engraved spring-loaded bezel is present over the movement.
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
- Date
- circa 1820
- Type
- Chinese market pocket watch
- Functions
- Dual time zone display
- Decoration
- Champlevé enamel and polychrome painting
- Escapement
- Crab-tooth duplex
- Movement type
- Key-wound with gilded finish
- Place recorded
- Switzerland
Design
- Visible features
- • Reverse enamel painting depicts a couple and a child • Two subsidiary time dials with Roman numerals • Champlevé enamel decoration on the bezel and pendant • Protective inner glass cover over the movement
- Dial and Timekeeping
- The dial is constructed from white enamel and utilizes a dual-register layout to facilitate the monitoring of two separate time zones. Each subsidiary dial features Roman numerals. A central seconds hand is present along with a subsidiary seconds indicator. The hands are manufactured in distinct styles: the time-telling hands are gilded in the Breguet style, while the seconds hands are fashioned from blued steel. The arrangement is intended to display local time alongside the time of a home port.
- Movement and Escapement
- The movement is a key-wound mechanism featuring gilded plates and bridges with ornamental engraving. It is equipped with a suspended barrel and a polished steel three-arm balance wheel with a helical hairspring. The escapement is a crab-tooth duplex type, specifically designed with two locking teeth on the escape wheel to produce a simulated seconds beat. Access to the movement is protected by an internal glass cover that features an engraved, gilded spring-loaded bezel.
- Case and Exterior Decoration
- The watch is housed in an open-face gold case. The reverse is decorated with a detailed polychrome enamel miniature depicting a man and a woman in period attire holding a child. The surrounding bezel, the pendant, and the bow are decorated with transparent champlevé enamel in a palette of red, white, and blue. The decorative scheme is consistent across the visible components of the case assembly, indicating a coordinated design for the Chinese market. The champlevé elements provide a contrast to the gold surfaces of the case structure.
Identification
- 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: Specific maker is not identified in the source
- Research required: The term 'Captains watch' is described as a functional category rather than a specific model name