Rhetia K&K Kaiserliche Dienstuhr Railway Pocket Watch
Record status
Individual type · partial
Period
19th century
This 19th-century pocket watch, attributed to the Austrian service, features a 50mm diameter silver case hallmarked as 0.800 silver. The white dial displays Arabic numerals and includes a subsidiary seconds dial.
The case back is decorated with elaborate hand-engravings, including the emblem of the Austrian imperial house—an eagle beneath a crown—alongside motifs representing a locomotive, railway tracks, and a post horn. The watch is powered by a gilded, manual-wind movement signed by the Swiss manufacturer Rhetia. It is accompanied by a silver chain. The item displays visible wear on the bezel and case back, consistent with its purported use in the Austrian rail and postal services.
The watch is reported to run, though its timing accuracy has not been verified.
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
- Manual-wind pocket watch
- Maker
- Rhetia
- Movement
- Gilded manual-wind
- Condition
- Runs, though unverified
- Case material
- 0.800 silver
- Place recorded
- Austria
- Maker / attribution
- Rhetia
- Case back decoration
- Hand-engraved imperial emblems
Design
- Case and Dial
- The watch is housed in a 50mm silver case, which is marked as 0.800 silver on the interior dust cover. The exterior of the case back is adorned with complex hand-engravings depicting the Austrian imperial eagle, a cross, and a crown. Additional symbols including a locomotive, railway tracks, and a post horn are incorporated into the design, suggesting an association with the 19th-century Austrian state transport services. The front of the watch features a white dial with Arabic numerals. The bezel shows signs of heavy surface wear, which the auction description reports as evidence of prolonged historical use. The case features a hinged back that secures firmly, and the overall state of the piece is described as good collector condition, despite the visible metal wear.
- Visible features
- • Case back features hand-engravings of an imperial eagle, train, and post horn • White dial with subsidiary seconds at six o'clock • Silver chain with link segments attached to the pendant • Visible wear to the bezel and case metal surfaces
- Movement and Signatures
- The movement is a gilded, manual-wind precision calibre signed by Rhetia. The movement is protected by an inner dust cover within the silver case. As of the current assessment, the watch is functional, although the auction description notes that the long-term accuracy has not been tested. The movement remains the primary evidence of the watch's origin in the Swiss horological industry, combined with the specific regional engravings on the case.
- Provenance and Accessories
- The object includes a silver chain, which the vendor suggests may be the original accessory for the watch. The chain features visible, though difficult to identify, hallmarks. The piece is contextually linked to the 19th-century Austrian imperial services based on the heraldry and the transit-related motifs engraved on the case back. This interpretation is provided as a professional assumption regarding the quality and source of the ornamentation.
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: The exact professional use as a railway watch remains a presumption by the vendor
- Research required: The origin of the hand-engraving is not verified by documentation
- Research required: The silver chain's originality is stated as a presumption by the vendor