Pocket watch · Pouzait-type dead beat centre seconds watch

Joh HacRenbracht a Halberstadt silver watch with Pouzait-type lever escapement

Partially verified

Catalogued as dating to circa 1800, this silver open-face pocket watch is signed on the dial by Joh. HacRenbracht à Halberstadt. According to the auction description, it incorporates a Pouzait-type lever escapement with dead beat centre seconds powered by an unsigned gilded full-plate movement. The movement features an aperture revealing the escapement, a large pink gold balance with spiral arms, and a fan-form balance cock with a broad regulation arc. The regulator-type white enamel dial presents an eccentric subsidiary time dial with Arabic numerals, an outer seconds chapter, and a winding aperture.

Dial view of the Joh. HacRenbracht à Halberstadt silver regulator pocket watch — Sotheby's. Rights pending — permission not yet requested. Original source

Catalogue identity

Source: www.sothebys.com
Category: Pocket watch · Pouzait-type dead beat centre seconds watch
Maker / attribution: Joh HacRenbracht a Halberstadt
Reference: Not recorded
Catalogue / lot identifier: 153
Source-reported date: Circa 1800
Country: Germany
Source-reported serial: 10136

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 Configuration and Inscription

The watch features a white enamel regulator-type dial dominated by an eccentric subsidiary time dial with Arabic numerals, an outer seconds ring, and dead beat centre seconds. Script lettering above the subsidiary chapter reads "Joh. HacRenbracht à Halberstadt".

A winding aperture is positioned directly within the enamel dial surface near the subsidiary chapter. Visible observation shows chipping or enamel loss around this winding aperture.

Evidence for this section

“white enamel regulator-type , eccentric subsidiary time dial with Arabic numerals, outer seconds ring, dead beat centre seconds, aperture for winding, signed Joh. HacRenbracht à Halberstadt”
“Dial exhibits chipping or enamel loss around the winding aperture near the subsidiary chapter at roughly the 2 o'clock position.”

Case Construction and Exterior Features

Constructed in silver with a stated diameter of 54 mm, the case includes a milled band and a suspension pendant with bow positioned at 12 o'clock. The cataloguing notes a stop slide located beneath the bezel at the 15-second marker.

The cataloguing further describes the case back as having a decoratively engraved border and a vacant cartouche at the base. The case back is recorded as stamped "ALI incuse" and numbered 10136, though these rear features are not visible in the dial-only photograph.

Evidence for this section

“diameter 54mm”
“Case: silver, decoratively engraved border to back, vacant cartouche to base, milled band, stop slide beneath bezel at 15-second marker, case back stamped ALI incuse and numbered 10136”
“Milled band and decorative pendant with bow are positioned at 12 o'clock.”

Movement Architecture and Escapement

According to the auction cataloguing, the movement is an unsigned gilded full-plate design featuring an aperture revealing a Pouzait-type lever escapement. It is described with a large pink gold balance with spiral arms and a fan-form balance cock with a broad regulation arc.

The catalogue note states that Jean-Moïse Pouzait developed a lever escapement in the late 18th century featuring a large seconds-beating balance, with slow oscillations permitting the incorporation of a dead centre seconds hand. These movement details are reported in the source text and are not visible in the provided front dial image.

Evidence for this section

“Movement: unsigned gilded full plate, aperture revealing the Pouzait-type lever escapement, large pink gold balance with spiral arms, fan-form balance cock with broad regulation arc”
“In the late 18th century, Jean-Moïse Pouzait (1743-1793) developed a lever escapement with a large seconds-beating balance, the slow oscillations of which allowed the incorporation of a dead centre seconds hand.”

Open research questions

What maker or casemaker does the mark 'ALI incuse' designate on silver watch cases of this period?
Do historical horological trade directories document 'Joh. HacRenbracht' in Halberstadt as a watchmaker or a retailer?
Does the movement utilize a specific Swiss or German ebauche typical of Pouzait-type watches produced circa 1800?

Source evidence

Recorded claims and source quotations for Joh HacRenbracht a Halberstadt silver watch with Pouzait-type lever escapement
Field	Source-reported value	Source quotation
Escapement	Pouzait-type lever escapement	“aperture revealing the Pouzait-type lever escapement”
Case diameter	54mm	“diameter 54mm”
Case material	Silver	“Case: silver, decoratively engraved border to back”
Dial description	White enamel regulator-type, eccentric subsidiary time dial with Arabic numerals	“white enamel regulator-type , eccentric subsidiary time dial with Arabic numerals, outer seconds ring”
Case back marking	Stamped ALI incuse and numbered 10136	“case back stamped ALI incuse and numbered 10136”
External control	Stop slide beneath bezel at 15-second marker	“stop slide beneath bezel at 15-second marker”
Balance construction	Large pink gold balance with spiral arms	“large pink gold balance with spiral arms”

Visible details

White enamel dial displays an eccentric subsidiary time chapter at 6 o'clock and an outer track with five-second Arabic markers.
Dial exhibits chipping or enamel loss around the winding aperture near the subsidiary chapter at roughly the 2 o'clock position.
Signature on the dial is rendered in script as 'Joh. HacRenbracht à Halberstadt'.
Milled band and decorative pendant with bow are positioned at 12 o'clock.

Research qualifications

Movement details (gilded full plate, escapement aperture, pink gold spiral-armed balance) are catalogued by the source but not visible in the dial-only photograph provided.
Movement is reported to be unsigned, with the signature appearing only on the enamel dial.
Case back engraving and marks ('ALI incuse' and number 10136) are source-reported and not visible in this image.

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

Consulted source

Joh HacRenbracht a Halberstadt | A silver watch with pouzait-type

Reviewed 2026-10-21 · Record 7bf2554d53

Terms in this record

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