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The Encyclopedia of Horology

Tool · Pocket watch key

Gold and Polychrome Enamel Pocket Watch Key

Partially verified

This antique pocket watch key is dated by the seller to the early 19th century and crafted in gold with polychrome enamel floral decoration. The body features a lobed, flower-shaped rosette patterned with green, blue, white, and black enamel designs outlined in gold. A suspension bail is fitted to one end and bears French eagle head hallmarks according to the dealer. The key measures 3.6 cm in total length with a rosette diameter of 1.3 cm, weighing 1.34 grams, and terminates in a dark metal winding pipe.

Full view of the gold and polychrome enameled pocket watch key showing suspension bail and winding shaft
Full view of the gold and polychrome enameled pocket watch key showing suspension bail and winding shaft — Proantic / S.D ANTIQUITES. Rights pending — permission not yet requested. Original source

Catalogue identity

Source
www.proantic.com
Category
Tool · Pocket watch key
Maker / attribution
Not established
Reference
1445710
Catalogue / lot identifier
Source URL identifies the listing
Source-reported date
early 19th century
Country
France

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

Object Type and Physical Form

This object is a decorative gold pocket watch key configured with a central enameled body, an upper suspension ring, and a lower winding pipe. The main body presents a flower-shaped rosette decorated with polychrome enamel, while the upper section transitions through a turned neck to a rounded gold suspension loop.

Visual examination confirms the central rosette body features enameling in black, white, green, and blue. Extending from the lower collar opposite the suspension bail is a dark tubular winding pipe.

Evidence for this section
  • “Flower-shaped rosette body with enameling in black, white, green, and blue”
  • “Dark tubular winding pipe extending from the lower collar”
  • “Gold suspension loop attached via a small turned neck”

Reported Markings and Dimensions

According to the listing description, the piece bears "Eagle head hallmarks on the bail." The key measures 3.6 cm in size with a diameter of 1.3 cm and an overall weight of 1.34 grams.

The seller describes the primary material as gold, decorated as "enameled with polychrome flowers." Beyond the reported eagle head punch, no maker or workshop hallmarks are recorded in the source.

Evidence for this section
  • “Eagle head hallmarks on the bail”
  • “enameled with polychrome flowers”
  • “Size: 3.6 cm”
  • “Diameter: 1.3 cm”
  • “Weight: 1.34g”

Condition and Attribution Limits

The listing notes specific localized defects on the piece: "a tiny lack of enamel on the bottom of the white flower at the junction of the stem and a small crack on the square of the winder." While the seller classifies the overall condition under a standard category of "Good condition," this reflects dealer cataloguing rather than an independent conservation evaluation.

Dating the key to the "Early 19th Century" (or broadly "19th century") rests entirely on dealer attribution. No maker's name or documented provenance is provided in the listing.

Evidence for this section
  • “a tiny lack of enamel on the bottom of the white flower at the junction of the stem and a small crack on the square of the winder”
  • “Early 19th Century”
  • “Period: 19th century”
  • “Condition: Good condition”

Open research questions

  • What specific watch key size number or internal square millimeter measurement does the dark tubular winding pipe accommodate?
  • Can macro photography document the exact form and standard of the eagle head hallmark on the bail to corroborate French gold assay marks?
  • Does inspection reveal whether the crack on the square of the winder impairs mechanical engagement with a winding arbor?

Source evidence

Recorded claims and source quotations for Gold and Polychrome Enamel Pocket Watch Key
FieldSource-reported valueSource quotation
MaterialGold“Material: Gold”
DecorationPolychrome flowers in enamel“enameled with polychrome flowers”
HallmarkEagle head on bail“Eagle head hallmarks on the bail”
Weight1.34 g“Weight: 1.34g”
Total Length3.6 cm“Size: 3.6 cm”
Diameter1.3 cm“Diameter: 1.3 cm”
Seller Condition RatingGood condition (source-reported)“Condition: Good condition”
Reference ID1445710“Reference (ID): 1445710”

Visible details

  • Flower-shaped rosette body with enameling in black, white, green, and blue
  • Gold suspension loop attached via a small turned neck
  • Dark tubular winding pipe extending from the lower collar

Research qualifications

  • Source notes a tiny lack of enamel at the base of the white flower at the stem junction
  • Source reports a small crack on the square of the winder
  • Early 19th-century date and eagle head hallmark identification are source-reported

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

Consulted source

Proantic: Gold Pocket Watch Key Early 19th Century

Reviewed 2026-10-21 · Record fc66ba739a

Terms in this record

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

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