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The Encyclopedia of Horology

Pocket watch · Tourbillon pocket watch

Ernest Guinand Tourbillon Pocket Watch

Partially verified

This 18K gold pocket watch, identified as number 3321, dates to circa 1870 and was produced for the Indian market by the Swiss horologist Ernest Guinand of Le Locle. The object features a five-body 'Bassine et filets' case that is engine-turned and florally engraved, paired with a silvered engine-turned dial decorated with applied varicolored gold foliage. The watch houses a frosted gilt movement with a one-minute tourbillon regulator; a distinctive feature is the top bridge, which is shaped to form the letter 'G' as a maker's mark. The mechanism utilizes 15 jewels, a polished steel tourbillon carriage, and a straight-line lever escapement. The watch is accompanied by a leather-covered fitted box and a crank lever key.

Front view of the Ernest Guinand pocket watch with its leather-covered fitted box, and a close-up detail of the tourbillon movement with the G-shaped bridge.
Front view of the Ernest Guinand pocket watch with its leather-covered fitted box, and a close-up detail of the tourbillon movement with the G-shaped bridge. — Antiquorum. Rights pending — permission not yet requested. Original source

Catalogue identity

Source
catalog.antiquorum.swiss
Category
Pocket watch · Tourbillon pocket watch
Maker / attribution
Ernest Guinand
Reference
Not recorded
Catalogue / lot identifier
75-451
Source-reported date
circa 1870
Source-reported place
Switzerland
Source-reported serial
3321

Source-reported attribution and specifications are not independent authentication. A listing does not establish present ownership, current display, availability or permission to reproduce.

Object description

Case and Dial Design

The watch is housed in a five-body gold case described as 'Bassine et filets' style. The exterior surfaces are decorated with engine-turned patterns supplemented by floral engraving. A gold hinged cuvette protects the internal movement structure.

The silvered dial displays engine-turned textures, with additional decorative elements provided by applied varicolored gold foliage. The time is indicated by radial Roman numerals and gilt Louis XV hands. A subsidiary seconds dial is positioned at the lower half of the dial face.

Evidence for this section
  • “Five-body, by ?WR?, "Bassine et filets", engine-turned and florally engraved, gold hinged cuvette.”
  • “Silvered, engine-turned, with applied varicolored gold foliage decoration and radial Roman numerals and subsidiary seconds.”

Movement and Regulation

The movement is constructed on a 43 mm frosted gilt caliber, which serves as the foundation for a one-minute tourbillon regulator. The tourbillon carriage is crafted from polished steel and integrates a straight-line lever escapement, which the source notes is a rare configuration for this maker.

Technical components include a cut-bimetallic compensation balance and a Breguet balance spring. The movement architecture is defined by a distinctively shaped top bridge, which functions as a maker's mark by forming the letter 'G' for Guinand. This component is numbered on the pillar plate.

Evidence for this section
  • “frosted gilt, caliber with the top bridge forming initial ?G? for Guinand, 15 jewels, polished steel Guinand carriage with straight line lever escapement, cut-bimetallic compensation balance with Breguet balance spring.”
  • “The present watch is also rare because it features a straight line lever escapement. Guinand generally used a lateral lever escapement, if he used a lever escapement at all.”

Maker and Provenance

According to the auction notes, Guinand rarely signed his work directly, as watches were often sold to établisseurs who then applied their own signatures.

This specific example is considered notable for its rare 'G'-shaped bridge signature.

Evidence for this section
  • “Ernest Guinand, the most eminent of Swiss tourbillon makers of the period, rarely signed his watches.”
  • “The present watch, is one of only two known signed Guinand tourbillons the other was sold by Antiquorum in 1999.”

Open research questions

  • What is the identity of the 'WR' case maker mentioned in the source?
  • Are there additional records of Guinand movements with straight-line lever escapements in private collections?

Source evidence

Recorded claims and source quotations for Ernest Guinand Tourbillon Pocket Watch
FieldSource-reported valueSource quotation
MakerErnest Guinand“Ernest Guinand, Locle”
Serial number3321“No. 3321”
Case typeFive-body“Five-body, by ?WR?, "Bassine et filets”
Escapement typeStraight-line lever escapement“straight-line lever escapement”
Movement diameter43 mm“M. 43 mm (19''')”
Total diameter53 mm“Diam. 53 mm”
Jewel count15“15 jewels”
Signature detailBridge shaped as G“The bridge in the shape of a letter ?G? for Guinand”

Visible details

  • The movement bridge forms the letter G
  • The case features elaborate floral engraving
  • The dial includes varicolored gold floral application
  • A leather-covered fitted box is included

Research qualifications

  • The exact identification of the 'WR' case maker remains unknown
  • The rarity claim of being 'one of only two' is based on identified sales known to the auction house

Photograph identity and source facts were screened before import; rights clearance remains pending.

Consulted source

Ernest Guinand, Locle, No. 3321, circa 1870, made for the Indian market. Very fine and important, 18K gold, slim dress watch with one-minute tourbillon regulator with unusual layout and straight-line lever escapement in a leather-covered fitted box, accompanied by crank lever key.

Reviewed 2026-10-26 · Record d7edd8218c

Terms in this record

Glossary explanations for terms named in this object’s record.

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