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The Encyclopedia of Horology

Pocket watch · Travel watch ensemble

Thos. Elliott London Pocket Watch with Silver Travel Case

Partially verified

This lot consists of a Swiss-made mechanical pocket watch produced around 1900 and retailed by Thos. Elliott of 50 West Strand, London. The timepiece features an argentan case, a white enamel dial with black Roman numerals, an outer minute track, a subsidiary seconds subdial at 6 o'clock, and blued steel Poires Roskopf-style hands. It is paired with an easel-backed standing travel case featuring a wavy guilloché sterling silver front cover by T. & J. Bragg Ltd. with Birmingham hallmarks, designed with a circular window permitting viewing of the time while standing.

Front view of the pocket watch mounted inside the silver-fronted standing travel case
Front view of the pocket watch mounted inside the silver-fronted standing travel case — Kunst- und Auktionshaus Quedlinburg. Rights pending — permission not yet requested. Original source

Catalogue identity

Source
www.invaluable.com
Category
Pocket watch · Travel watch ensemble
Maker / attribution
Thos. Elliott
Reference
Not recorded
Catalogue / lot identifier
685
Source-reported date
circa 1900
Country
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

Watch and Retail Identity

The lot consists of a mechanical pocket watch manufactured in Switzerland and retailed by Thos. Elliott of 50 West Strand, London. The watch is described as having a white enamel dial with black Roman numerals and a subsidiary seconds subdial at the 6 o'clock position.

The watch case is composed of argentan, a copper-nickel-zinc alloy, and features a smooth bezel. The movement is reported as a hand-wound mechanism with a lever escapement.

Evidence for this section
  • “Argentan, mechanical pocket watch with hand-wound movement, made in Switzerland around 1900, retailed by Thos. Elliott, 50 West Strand, London.”
  • “Circular case with smooth bezel, white enamel dial with black Roman numerals and small seconds at 6 o’clock.”
  • “Sichtbares Werk mit klassischem Schweizer Aufbau mit Ankerhemmung.”

Travel Case Construction

The pocket watch is accompanied by an easel-backed standing case. The front panel is made of guilloché sterling silver and bears Birmingham assay marks, indicating the silver alloy, the maker's mark for T. & J. Bragg Ltd., and a date letter that remains unidentified between 1914 or 1939.

The case lid includes an aperture for viewing the time and is lined internally with green velvet.

Evidence for this section
  • “Beiliegend originale Schatulle, aufstellbar, dessen Frontplatte aus guillochiertem Silber gefertigt ist, vollständig mit englischen Silbermarken gepunzt (Stadtmarke Birmingham, Feingehlat 925 Sterlingsilber, Jahresmarke 1914 oder 1939 und Hersteller T. & J. Bragg Ltd).”
  • “Deckel mit Sichtfenster zur Zeitablesung, Innenfutter aus grünem Samt”

Condition and Status

The ensemble shows age-appropriate signs of use. The source states that the watch is running, although timekeeping accuracy has not been tested.

Technical details regarding the specific caliber or internal conditions of the movement were not reported.

Evidence for this section
  • “Age-appropriate condition with signs of use. The watch is running, timekeeping not tested.”

Open research questions

  • What specific silver date letter is present on the case to differentiate between the 1914 and 1939 hallmarking years?
  • Does the provenance of the T. & J. Bragg Ltd. hallmark confirm a direct association with the Thos. Elliott retail shop?

Source evidence

Recorded claims and source quotations for Thos. Elliott London Pocket Watch with Silver Travel Case
FieldSource-reported valueSource quotation
RetailerThos. Elliott, 50 West Strand, London“retailed by Thos. Elliott, 50 West Strand, London.”
OriginSwitzerland“made in Switzerland around 1900”
Watch Case MaterialArgentan“Reverse with multiple marks, including “Argentan”.”
Case Front HallmarksBirmingham sterling silver, T. & J. Bragg Ltd.“city mark Birmingham, silver alloy 925 sterling silver, date letter 1914 or 1939, and maker’s mark T. & J. Bragg Ltd.”
Watch Dimensions20 × 70 mm“Watch: 20 × 70 mm (H×D)”
Travel Case Dimensions3.5 × 10 × 11 cm“case: 3.5 × 10 × 11 cm (H×W×D)”
Case Dimensions3.5 × 10 × 11 cm“case: 3.5 × 10 × 11 cm (H×W×D)”

Visible details

  • A wave-patterned guilloché silver faceplate features a round aperture for the dial and a circular medallion at the top.
  • The white dial is signed 'THOS ELLIOTT / 50 WEST STRAND / LONDON' and 'SWISS MADE' at the bottom edge.
  • A small push button or release pin protrudes from the right edge of the case.

Research qualifications

  • The English hallmark date letter on the silver cover is catalogued as ambiguously 1914 or 1939.
  • Movement mechanics and internal case condition are concealed in the standing view.

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

Consulted source

Sold at Auction: Thos. Elliott London, English pocket watch with silver travel case, circa 1900

Reviewed 2026-10-26 · Record 9c07710d39

Terms in this record

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