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The Encyclopedia of Horology

Pocket watch · Jump hour pocket watch

F. Pernetti, à Genève Gold Jump Hour Cylinder Watch with Sector for Seconds

Partially verified

This open-face pocket watch, signed 'Fix. Pernetti' beneath the hour aperture, is dated by the source to circa 1830 and features an engine-turned gold case measuring 54 mm across. Its engine-turned silver dial displays jump hours in an aperture at 12 o'clock, minutes on a satin-finished track, and seconds along a broad lower sector indicated by a double-ended blued steel hand. According to the cataloguer, the watch is powered by a gilded bar movement with a cylinder escapement, plain three-arm gold balance, blued steel regulation index, and standing barrel, protected by an engraved gilt-metal cuvette bearing movement details and serial number 13861.

Front view of the gold jump hour pocket watch showing the engine-turned silver dial, jump hour aperture, and sector for seconds
Front view of the gold jump hour pocket watch showing the engine-turned silver dial, jump hour aperture, and sector for seconds — Sotheby's. Rights pending — permission not yet requested. Original source

Catalogue identity

Source
www.sothebys.com
Category
Pocket watch · Jump hour pocket watch
Maker / attribution
F. Pernetti, à Genève
Reference
Not recorded
Catalogue / lot identifier
161
Source-reported date
Circa 1830
Country
Switzerland
Source-reported serial
13861

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

Dial Arrangement and Display

The watch features an engine-turned silver dial with jump hours visible through an aperture situated at 12 o'clock, displaying the numeral 10 in the available photograph. The dial is signed 'F ix . Pernetti' directly beneath this aperture, while minutes are marked along a satin-finished ring.

A central blued steel hand with a crescent counterbalance traverses the minute track. Running seconds are indicated across a broad lower semicircular sector aperture by means of a double-ended blued steel hand, set against an engine-turned ground.

Evidence for this section
  • “silver engine-turned, aperture for hours, satin finished ring for minutes, broad sector aperture for seconds indicated via a double-ended blued steel hand, signed F ix . Pernetti”
  • “Rectangular jump hour aperture positioned at 12 o'clock displaying numeral 10.”
  • “Central blued steel hand with a crescent counterbalance traversing the silver dial.”

Case Construction and Stamped Markings

The gold open-face case measures 54 mm in diameter and is catalogued with engine-turned finishing on the back, bezel, and band. Visible exterior elements include a reeded or engine-turned bezel and a rounded bow attached to the pendant.

Internally, the watch is fitted with a gilt-metal cuvette featuring winding apertures, engraved with movement details, and signed 'F ix . Pernetti à Genève'. The case back and cuvette both bear the number 13861; the cataloguer notes a 'DH' stamp within an oval cartouche on the back and 'HC incuse' on the cuvette.

Evidence for this section
  • “gold engine-turned back, bezel and band, gilt-metal cuvette with apertures for winding, engraved with movement details and signed F ix . Pernetti à Genève , case back and cuvette numbered 13861, the back stamped DH within an oval cartouche, cuvette stamped HC incuse”
  • “Gold outer case with reeded or engine-turned bezel and rounded bow.”
  • “diameter 54mm”

Reported Movement and Technical Specification

According to the auction catalogue, the watch is powered by a gilded bar movement with a standing barrel and a cylinder escapement. The regulating organ comprises a plain three-arm gold balance and a blued steel regulation index.

The piece is dated circa 1830 in the source. Because the movement and cuvette are enclosed and not visible in the provided image, all escapement, balance, and caliber specifications remain source-reported.

Evidence for this section
  • “Movement: gilded bar, cylinder escapement, plain three-arm gold balance, blued steel regulation index, standing barrel”
  • “Circa 1830, no. 13861”

Open research questions

  • Which Geneva caseworkers or master goldsmiths correspond to the 'DH' oval punch and the 'HC' incuse cuvette mark circa 1830?
  • What specific text and movement descriptions are engraved on the gilt-metal cuvette?
  • How is the jumper mechanism for the hour disc geared relative to the sector seconds train in this caliber layout?

Source evidence

Recorded claims and source quotations for F. Pernetti, à Genève Gold Jump Hour Cylinder Watch with Sector for Seconds
FieldSource-reported valueSource quotation
MakerF. Pernetti, à Genève“F. Pernetti, à Genève”
Serial Number13861“no. 13861”
EscapementCylinder escapement“cylinder escapement”
Diameter54mm“diameter 54mm”
Case MaterialGold“gold engine-turned back, bezel and band”
Dial SignatureF ix . Pernetti“signed F ix . Pernetti”
Cuvette Inscription and NumberingGilt-metal, signed F ix . Pernetti à Genève, numbered 13861“gilt-metal cuvette with apertures for winding, engraved with movement details and signed F ix . Pernetti à Genève , case back and cuvette numbered 13861”
Case and Cuvette StampsDH within an oval cartouche on case back; HC incuse on cuvette“the back stamped DH within an oval cartouche, cuvette stamped HC incuse”
Collection ProvenanceProperty from the Masterworks of Time Collection“Property from the Masterworks of Time Collection”

Visible details

  • Rectangular jump hour aperture positioned at 12 o'clock displaying numeral 10.
  • Lower semicircular sector aperture showing a graduated seconds track.
  • Central blued steel hand with a crescent counterbalance traversing the silver dial.
  • Engine-turned silver dial with textured ground and printed minute markers on a smooth track.
  • Gold outer case with reeded or engine-turned bezel and rounded bow.

Research qualifications

  • Movement and cuvette details are source-reported and not visible in the supplied photograph.
  • Case back engine-turning and stamped maker marks are not visible.

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

Consulted source

F. Pernetti, à Genève | A gold jump hour cylinder watch with sector

Reviewed 2026-10-21 · Record 9c7452a65a

Terms in this record

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