Skip to content
The Encyclopedia of Horology

Pocket watch · Pendant watch

Swiss Lady's Pendant Watch with Filigree Brooch

Partially verified

This Swiss-made lady's pendant watch, originating circa 1910, is presented as a silver-gilt and enamel keyless-wind timepiece. It is suspended from a gilt filigree brooch. The watch case is a three-body 'bassine' type. The bezel features red translucent guilloché enamel. The case back displays a painted scene of a young woman seated within a landscape, framed by a silver paillon rococo border and an outer red guilloché enamel border. The dial is constructed of white enamel with painted Breguet numerals and outer minute divisions, complemented by gilt Louis-style hands. The internal mechanism is a 10 ½ ligne rhodium-plated movement, which incorporates a cylinder escapement, a three-arm balance, a blued steel flat balance spring, and an index regulator. The movement is signed. The total diameter of the watch is 29 mm.

The Swiss lady's pendant watch, showing the case back enamel decoration and the filigree brooch.
The Swiss lady's pendant watch, showing the case back enamel decoration and the filigree brooch. — Antiquorum. Rights pending — permission not yet requested. Original source

Catalogue identity

Source
catalog.antiquorum.swiss
Category
Pocket watch · Pendant watch
Maker / attribution
Not established
Reference
Not recorded
Catalogue / lot identifier
22
Source-reported date
circa 1910
Source-reported place
Switzerland

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 features a three-body 'bassine' case design constructed from silver-gilt. The exterior is heavily decorated with red translucent guilloché enamel, which appears on the bezel and as a decorative border on the case back. The center of the case back displays a miniature painting depicting a young lady seated in a landscape, surrounded by a silver paillon rococo border.

The dial is finished in white enamel, featuring painted Breguet numerals and outer minute divisions. Time is displayed via a set of gilt Louis-style hands, which maintain the decorative character of the pendant. The watch is attached to a gilt filigree brooch, allowing it to be worn as a pendant.

Evidence for this section
  • “Three-body, ?bassine?”
  • “the bezel overlaid with red translucent guilloché enamel”
  • “the back decorated with a scene of a young lady seated in a landscape within a silver paillon rococco border”
  • “Gilt Louis hands”

Movement and Escapement

The internal movement is a 10 ½ ligne caliber, rhodium-plated for finish and durability. It utilizes a cylinder escapement, a common arrangement for smaller pendant watches of this era. Regulation is managed via an index regulator, and the oscillating system consists of a three-arm balance paired with a blued steel flat balance spring.

The movement is signed, though no specific maker is attributed within the documentation.

Evidence for this section
  • “10 ½ ''', rhodium-plated, cylinder escapement”
  • “three-arm balance, blued steel flat balance spring, index regulator”
  • “Movement signed”
  • “Overhaul recommended, at buyer's expense”

Condition and Grading

The auction description provides a grading system for the object, assessing the case, dial, and movement. The overall grade for the item is 'A', categorized as 'Good'. Specifically, the case and dial are rated as 'Good', and the movement is rated as '3 Good' under the established grading system.

The documentation specifies that the hands are original. No major losses or structural defects are mentioned in the text, although the recommendation for an overhaul indicates that the mechanical performance should be assessed by the owner.

Evidence for this section
  • “Grading System Grade: A Good”
  • “Case: 3 Good”
  • “Movement: 3* Good”
  • “HANDS Original”

Open research questions

  • Which specific workshop or manufacturer signed this movement?
  • Does the silver paillon rococo border indicate a specific European or regional origin for the enamel work?

Source evidence

Recorded claims and source quotations for Swiss Lady's Pendant Watch with Filigree Brooch
FieldSource-reported valueSource quotation
OriginSwitzerland“Swiss. Made circa 1910.”
Movement typeCylinder escapement“cylinder escapement”
Movement size10 ½ lignes“10 ½ '''”
Case typeThree-body bassine“Three-body, ?bassine?”
DecorationRed translucent guilloché enamel and silver paillon“the bezel overlaid with red translucent guilloché enamel, the back decorated with a scene of a young lady seated in a landscape within a silver paillon rococco border”
DialWhite enamel with Breguet numerals“White enamel with Breguet numerals”
Diameter29 mm“Diam. 29 mm”
ConditionGrade A, good“Grading System Grade: A Good”

Visible details

  • Red translucent guilloché enamel on the bezel and case back border
  • Painted landscape scene with a seated lady on the case back
  • Intricate gilt filigree bow-shaped brooch attachment
  • Gilt Louis-style hands

Research qualifications

  • The movement is signed but the specific maker is not identified in the provided text
  • The description notes an overhaul is recommended, which may impact mechanical reliability

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

Consulted source

Swiss ' Lady's Pendant Watch Swiss. Made circa 1910. Fine, silver-gilt and enamel, lady's keyless pendant watch with a gilt filigree brooch. To be sold without reserve

Reviewed 2026-10-26 · Record bc01e95e8b

Terms in this record

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

Other pendant watch records