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The Encyclopedia of Horology

Pocket watch · Open-face quarter repeating pocket watch

Swiss Yellow Gold Open Face Watch with Quarter Repeating

Partially verified

According to Sotheby's, this Swiss open face pocket watch dates to circa 1780 and features a yellow gold case measuring 56 mm in diameter. The source reports a key-wound movement with a duplex escapement and quarter repeating complication. The white enamel dial features black Roman numerals and a subsidiary seconds dial at 6 o'clock. The case is catalogued as having a hinged cuvette and a guilloché case back, numbered 531, with a signature on the cuvette.

Dial view of the Swiss yellow gold open face quarter repeating pocket watch
Dial view of the Swiss yellow gold open face quarter repeating pocket watch — Sotheby's. Rights pending — permission not yet requested. Original source

Catalogue identity

Source
www.sothebys.com
Category
Pocket watch · Open-face quarter repeating pocket watch
Maker / attribution
Not established
Reference
Not recorded
Catalogue / lot identifier
8835
Source-reported date
Circa 1780
Country
Switzerland
Source-reported serial
531

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 Identity and Origin

This pocket watch is catalogued under a Swiss designation without an identified individual maker. The auction documentation dates the piece to circa 1780 and describes it as a yellow gold open-face watch featuring quarter repeating and an enamel dial.

The cataloguer notes that the piece is signed on the cuvette and records the case number as 531. The exact transcription, name, or mark comprising the cuvette signature is not recorded in this source.

Evidence for this section
  • “Swiss A yellow gold open face watch with quarter repeating and enamel dial. Circa 1780”
  • “Case number: 531”
  • “Signed: cuvette”

Dial and Visible Casing

Direct visual observation shows a white enamel dial with bold black Roman numerals and an outer calibrated minute track, accompanied by blued steel Breguet-style hour and minute hands.

A subsidiary seconds register marked with Arabic numerals at ten-second intervals is positioned above 6 o'clock. The yellow gold rounded case displays an engine-turned or reeded rim and is fitted with a large spherical pendant and circular bow at 12 o'clock.

Evidence for this section
  • “White enamel dial with bold black Roman numerals and an outer calibrated minute track.”
  • “Blued steel Breguet-style hour and minute hands.”
  • “Subsidiary seconds register positioned above 6 o'clock marked with Arabic numerals at ten-second intervals.”
  • “Yellow gold rounded case with an engine-turned or reeded rim and a large spherical pendant with circular bow at 12 o'clock.”

Reported Movement and Case Construction

According to the auction listing, the yellow gold case measures 56 mm in diameter and includes a hinged cuvette and a guilloche case back. Neither the case back nor the cuvette are visible in the provided photograph.

The movement is catalogued as key-wound with a Duplex escapement, along with quarter repeating capability. Because internal movement views are not provided, these mechanical specifications are known solely from the source report.

Evidence for this section
  • “Case size: 56 mm diameter”
  • “Case: yellow gold, hinged cuvette, guilloche case back”
  • “Caliber: key wound, Duplex escapement.”

Open research questions

  • What specific text, name, or hallmark constitutes the signature recorded on the cuvette?
  • What specific engine-turned pattern is present on the guilloche case back?
  • What are the detailed structural characteristics of the key-wound duplex escapement and quarter-repeating mechanism?

Source evidence

Recorded claims and source quotations for Swiss Yellow Gold Open Face Watch with Quarter Repeating
FieldSource-reported valueSource quotation
Dialenamel“Dial: enamel”
Caliberkey wound, Duplex escapement“Caliber: key wound, Duplex escapement.”
Caseyellow gold, hinged cuvette, guilloche case back“Case: yellow gold, hinged cuvette, guilloche case back”
Case number531“Case number: 531”
Case size56 mm diameter“Case size: 56 mm diameter”
Signedcuvette“Signed: cuvette”
Accessoriesnone“Accessories: none”
Lot Number8835“Lot 8835”

Visible details

  • White enamel dial with bold black Roman numerals and an outer calibrated minute track.
  • Subsidiary seconds register positioned above 6 o'clock marked with Arabic numerals at ten-second intervals.
  • Blued steel Breguet-style hour and minute hands.
  • Yellow gold rounded case with an engine-turned or reeded rim and a large spherical pendant with circular bow at 12 o'clock.

Research qualifications

  • The movement, inner hinged cuvette, and guilloché case back are not visible in the provided photograph.
  • The specific maker is unspecified by the auction house beyond a Swiss regional attribution.

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

Consulted source

Swiss | A yellow gold open face watch with quarter repeating and

Reviewed 2026-10-21 · Record 93a6b8789f

Terms in this record

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

Other open-face quarter repeating pocket watch records