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The Encyclopedia of Horology

Pocket watch · Manual-wind pocket watch

Rhetia K&K Kaiserliche Dienstuhr Railway Pocket Watch

Partially verified

This 19th-century pocket watch, attributed to the Austrian service, features a 50mm diameter silver case hallmarked as 0.800 silver. The white dial displays Arabic numerals and includes a subsidiary seconds dial. The case back is decorated with elaborate hand-engravings, including the emblem of the Austrian imperial house—an eagle beneath a crown—alongside motifs representing a locomotive, railway tracks, and a post horn. The watch is powered by a gilded, manual-wind movement signed by the Swiss manufacturer Rhetia. It is accompanied by a silver chain. The item displays visible wear on the bezel and case back, consistent with its purported use in the Austrian rail and postal services. The watch is reported to run, though its timing accuracy has not been verified.

Detailed view of the hand-engraved Austrian imperial eagle and crown on the case back.
Detailed view of the hand-engraved Austrian imperial eagle and crown on the case back. — Sammler-Uhren. Rights pending — permission not yet requested. Original source

Catalogue identity

Source
sammler-uhren.com
Category
Pocket watch · Manual-wind pocket watch
Maker / attribution
Rhetia
Reference
Not recorded
Catalogue / lot identifier
Source URL identifies the listing
Source-reported date
19th century
Source-reported place
Austria

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

The watch is housed in a 50mm silver case, which is marked as 0.800 silver on the interior dust cover. The exterior of the case back is adorned with complex hand-engravings depicting the Austrian imperial eagle, a cross, and a crown. Additional symbols including a locomotive, railway tracks, and a post horn are incorporated into the design, suggesting an association with the 19th-century Austrian state transport services.

The front of the watch features a white dial with Arabic numerals. The bezel shows signs of heavy surface wear, which the auction description reports as evidence of prolonged historical use. The case features a hinged back that secures firmly, and the overall state of the piece is described as good collector condition, despite the visible metal wear.

Evidence for this section
  • “Gehäusedurchmesser: 50mm, weisses, unrestauriert top erhaltene Ziffernblatt mit frühen und kunstvoll gearbeiteten arabischen Ziffern.”
  • “Gedrückter Boden am Scharnier, gestempelt 0,800 Silber”
  • “Der erkennbare Berieb der Lünette und des Bodens stellt nicht etwa einen Mangel des musealen Artefaktes dar, sondern ist der vom Sammler begehrte Beleg dafür, dass genau d i e s e Uhr über Jahrzehnte in den Tälern Österreichs unterwegs und "im Dienst" war”

Movement and Signatures

The movement is a gilded, manual-wind precision calibre signed by Rhetia. The movement is protected by an inner dust cover within the silver case.

As of the current assessment, the watch is functional, although the auction description notes that the long-term accuracy has not been tested. The movement remains the primary evidence of the watch's origin in the Swiss horological industry, combined with the specific regional engravings on the case.

Evidence for this section
  • “Vergoldetes Präzisions Handaufzugswerk, signiert Rhetia, eine Schweizer Uhrenmanufaktur, welche auch die bekannte Glashütter marke "Nomos" belieferte”
  • “Das museale Artefakt läuft an und durch (Ganggenauigkeit nicht geprüft)”

Provenance and Accessories

The object includes a silver chain, which the vendor suggests may be the original accessory for the watch. The chain features visible, though difficult to identify, hallmarks. The piece is contextually linked to the 19th-century Austrian imperial services based on the heraldry and the transit-related motifs engraved on the case back.

This interpretation is provided as a professional assumption regarding the quality and source of the ornamentation.

Evidence for this section
  • “Angebracht ist eine vermutlich originale ebenfalls Silberkett mit kaum erkennbaren Punzen wie gezeigt auf den Fotos”
  • “wir vermuten Eisenbahneruhr, da 2 Eisenbahnmotive vorhanden sind und das Posthorn / die Post im 19. Jahrhundert in Österreich mit Kaiserhaus und damit Eisenbahn zusammenhing”
  • “Aufgrund der feinsten Linien im Adler gehen wir davon aus, dass der Boden von einem Meister seiner Zunft in stundenlanger Arbeit konzipiert und handgraviert wurde”

Open research questions

  • Can the Rhetia movement serial number be linked to specific Austrian service records from the 19th century?
  • Is there further verification for the claimed collaboration between Rhetia and Nomos Glashütte?

Source evidence

Recorded claims and source quotations for Rhetia K&K Kaiserliche Dienstuhr Railway Pocket Watch
FieldSource-reported valueSource quotation
Case material0.800 silver“gestempelt 0,800 Silber”
MovementGilded manual-wind“Vergoldetes Präzisions Handaufzugswerk”
MakerRhetia“signiert Rhetia, eine Schweizer Uhrenmanufaktur”
Case back decorationHand-engraved imperial emblems“Rückseite feinst graviert mit dem Wappen des österreichischen Kaiserhauses, dem Adler mit Kreuz und Kaiserkrone”
ConditionRuns, though unverified“Das museale Artefakt läuft an und durch (Ganggenauigkeit nicht geprüft)”

Visible details

  • Case back features hand-engravings of an imperial eagle, train, and post horn
  • White dial with subsidiary seconds at six o'clock
  • Silver chain with link segments attached to the pendant
  • Visible wear to the bezel and case metal surfaces

Research qualifications

  • The exact professional use as a railway watch remains a presumption by the vendor
  • The origin of the hand-engraving is not verified by documentation
  • The silver chain's originality is stated as a presumption by the vendor

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

Consulted source

Rhetia einmalig signierte K & K Kaiserliche Dienstuhr Eisenbahner Uhr Österreich

Reviewed 2026-11-02 · Record 5861c8bdab

Terms in this record

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

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