Dumb Repeating Watch

The watch case consists of an inner case and an outer case. The top of the body of the round, convex hinged outer case is partly chased, partly engraved with a symmetrical, scaled field with an oval, plain medallion, framed by leaf scrolls and C-volutes with herms at the sides, a bearded mask at the top, and a portrait of a girl at the bottom.

The field is set against a punched ground. The side of the body is decorated with four shield-shaped medallions with engraved depictions of, respectively, a putto with a flower basket, a putto with ears of corn, a putto seated on a barrel holding a small drinking bowl, and a putto seated near a foot stove, depicting respectively Spring, Summer, Autumn, and Winter. In between are symmetrical, openworked motifs of floral scrolls, bordered by moulded C-volutes.

Opposite the hinge is the spherical push piece with which the outer case can be opened. The body has a moulded, projecting upper rim with a semicircular cutout for the pendant. The hinged bezel, which likewise has a semicircular cutout, fits onto this with an identical rim. The bezel is openworked and engraved with four symmetrical motifs of leaf scrolls that correspond to the openworked decorations on the side of the body.

They alternate with fields bounded by upright C-volutes with engraved depictions of, respectively, a cluster of fruit suspended from ribbons, a basket with fruit, a floral garland suspended from ribbons, and a flower basket, all set against a brick pattern background and corresponding to the depictions of the seasons. The round, convex, hinged inner case is openworked and engraved on the side with a broad frieze of symmetrically arranged floral scrolls with birds.

The frieze is interrupted by a field surrounded by C-volutes, engraved with a brick pattern and in which the pendant with bow is fastened. A lion's head is engraved on the opposite side of the frieze. The frieze is bordered at the top by a narrow band of a repeating pattern of dots and dashes, and at the bottom by a narrow band of a repeating pattern of a shell and two small volutes. The inner case has a hinged bezel with slightly domed watch glass.

The circular winding hole is located at the back. The Rijksmuseum, Amsterdam, holds this object as BK-VBR-356; its record gives material recorded as gold (metal), glass; measurements height 3 cm x diameter 5.1 cm x weight 158 g. Description translated from the museum's Dutch catalogue text; details are those of this museum object, and how far it represents a wider type has not been independently verified.