Pocket watch · Half-quarter repeating pair-cased pocket watch

Grignion & Son Half-Quarter Repeating Pair-Cased Pocket Watch

Partially verified

This 22K gold, half-quarter repeating pair-cased pocket watch is attributed to Grignion & Son of Covent Garden, London, and dates to approximately 1770. The watch features a white enamel dial with Roman numerals and an outer minute track with Arabic five-minute markers, fitted with gold arrow hands. The movement is 32 mm in diameter, comprising a frosted gilt finish with cylindrical pillars, a fusee with chain, a cylinder escapement, and a plain three-arm steel balance. The balance cock is pierced and engraved with a single foot, complemented by a diamond endstone and a silver regulation dial. The movement is housed in a bassine-style inner case with a pierced, engraved geometric band and a silver dust cap. The outer case is decorated with painted enamel flowers on a pierced foliate bezel and features a prominent central enamel scene depicting Venus and Adonis in a wooded landscape.

View of the back of the outer case showing the polychrome enamel scene of Venus and Adonis and the pierced foliate bezel. — Antiquorum. Rights pending — permission not yet requested. Original source

Catalogue identity

Source: catalog.antiquorum.swiss
Category: Pocket watch · Half-quarter repeating pair-cased pocket watch
Maker / attribution: Grignion & Son
Reference: Not recorded
Catalogue / lot identifier: 740
Source-reported date: circa 1770
Source-reported place: England
Source-reported serial: 1974

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 Exterior

The watch is encased in a two-part pair-case construction. The outer case serves as the primary decorative element, featuring a pierced foliate bezel adorned with four panels of painted enamel flowers. The back of this outer case presents a detailed painted enamel scene of Venus and Adonis set within a wooded landscape, with the border matching the floral motifs of the bezel.

The inner case is of the 'bassine' form, featuring a band that is both pierced and engraved with a repeating geometric pattern. The internal components are protected by a silver dust cap. The entirety of the outer casing is fabricated from 22K gold, which provides a setting for the repeating enamel work across both the central scene and the decorative floral panels found on the bezel.

Evidence for this section

“Outer: two-body, pierced foliate bezel with four panels of painted on enamel flowers, the back decorated with a painted on enamel scene of Venus and Adonis in a wooded landscape”
“inner: two-body, ?bassine?, the band pierced and engraved with a geometric pattern.”
“Silver dust cap.”

Movement and Repeating Mechanism

The movement is 32 mm in diameter and features a frosted gilt finish. It incorporates traditional components of the period, including cylindrical pillars and a fusee-and-chain transmission system. The timekeeping is regulated by a cylinder escapement and a plain three-arm steel balance with a flat balance spring.

The balance cock is a single-footed design, extensively pierced and engraved, and is topped with a diamond endstone. The watch includes a silver regulation dial. The half-quarter repeating function is activated by depressing the pendant, which causes the mechanism to strike on a bell, allowing the time to be determined audibly.

Evidence for this section

“frosted gilt, cylindrical pillars, fusee with chain, cylinder escapement, plain three-arm steel balance”
“finely pierced and engraved single footed cock, diamond endstone, silver regulation dial”
“repeating on a bell activated by depressing the pendant.”

Dial and Condition

The dial is composed of white enamel, featuring radial Roman numerals for the hours. An outer minute track is present, supplemented by Arabic numerals at five-minute intervals. The hands are fashioned in the 'arrow' style, executed in gold, providing contrast against the white enamel ground.

The auction description reports that the object is in 'Good' condition across the case, movement, and dial categories.

Evidence for this section

“White enamel with radial Roman numerals, outer minute track and Arabic five minute numerals. Gold ?Arrow? hands.”
“Overhaul recommended, at buyer's expense”
“HANDS Original”

Open research questions

Are there extant records of Grignion & Son that provide more information on the specific miniature painter commissioned for the Venus and Adonis enamel scene?
Does the movement serial number 1974 correspond with other known timepieces produced by Grignion & Son during the 1770s?

Source evidence

Recorded claims and source quotations for Grignion & Son Half-Quarter Repeating Pair-Cased Pocket Watch
Field	Source-reported value	Source quotation
Maker	Grignion & Son	“Grignion & Son, Covent Garden, London”
Date	circa 1770	“Made circa 1770.”
Material	22K gold and painted enamel	“22K gold and painted on enamel pair-cased pocket watch.”
Movement type	Half-quarter repeating	“half-quarter repeating”
Escapement	Cylinder	“cylinder escapement”
Diameter	48 mm	“Diam. 48 mm.”
Signature	Dial, movement and dust cap	“Dial, movement and dust cap signed.”

Visible details

Outer pair case back features polychrome enamel scene of Venus and Adonis
Outer case bezel decorated with painted enamel flowers
Gold arrow-style hands displayed on white enamel dial
Case band features pierced and engraved geometric patterns

Research qualifications

Condition grading is reported as good, but an overhaul is recommended
Provenance and specific history of the owners are not documented in the source

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

Consulted source

'Venus and Adonis' Grignion & Son, Covent Garden, London, No. 1974. Made circa 1770. Fine and rare, half-quarter repeating, 22K gold and painted on enamel pair-cased pocket watch.

Reviewed 2026-10-26 · Record 0f55f86b7f

Terms in this record

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