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The Encyclopedia of Horology

Pocket watch · Tourbillon pocket chronometer

Victor Kullberg One Minute Tourbillon Chronometer with Earnshaw Spring Detent Escapement

Partially verified

This 18k yellow gold open-face pocket watch by Victor Kullberg measures 56mm in diameter and is described by the cataloguer as a one-minute tourbillon chronometer with an Earnshaw spring detent escapement. Source literature cited by Phillips records that Kullberg made only three tourbillon pocket chronometers, of which this example is the sole piece with a detent escapement. The white dial displays Roman numerals, blued steel hands, an up-and-down power reserve indicator below 12 o'clock, and subsidiary seconds at 6 o'clock. The case bears the maker's mark FT for Fred Thoms with an 1898 hallmark. Firm workbooks state work began in November 1897, and the watch was shown at the 1900 Paris Exhibition before acquisition by Elliot C. Lee in 1913.

Front view of the Victor Kullberg pocket chronometer showing the white dial, power reserve indicator, and yellow gold case
Front view of the Victor Kullberg pocket chronometer showing the white dial, power reserve indicator, and yellow gold case — Phillips. Rights pending — permission not yet requested. Original source

Catalogue identity

Source
www.phillips.com
Category
Pocket watch · Tourbillon pocket chronometer
Maker / attribution
Victor Kullberg
Reference
Not recorded
Catalogue / lot identifier
130
Source-reported date
Circa 1890
Country
United Kingdom
Source-reported serial
6583

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 and Case Construction

The watch is encased in an 18k yellow gold open-face case measuring 56mm in diameter, with visual inspection showing a fluted winding crown and rounded bow at 12 o'clock. The cataloguer notes that the case bears the maker's mark 'FT' for Fred Thoms alongside a year letter for 1898.

The white enamel dial displays black Roman numerals, an outer railway minute track, and blued steel spade hands. Directly below the signature 'VICTOR KULLBERG LONDON 6583' under 12 o'clock is an Up/Down power reserve indication sector, complemented by a subsidiary seconds dial at 6 o'clock.

Evidence for this section
  • “case with makers mark FT for Fred Thoms and year letter 1898”
  • “材料 18k yellow gold”
  • “尺寸 56mm diameter”
  • “White enamel dial with black Roman numerals and an outer railway minute track.”
  • “Maker signature 'VICTOR KULLBERG LONDON 6583' below 12 o'clock.”
  • “Up/Down power reserve indication sector situated below the signature.”
  • “Subsidiary seconds dial with blued steel hand at 6 o'clock.”
  • “Blued steel spade hands for hours and minutes.”
  • “Polished 18k yellow gold open-face case with a fluted crown and rounded bow at 12 o'clock.”

Movement Specifications and Reported Architecture

Movement number 6583 is catalogued as a manual-wind one-minute tourbillon chronometer featuring an Earnshaw spring detent escapement. Both the dial and the movement are stated to be signed by Victor Kullberg.

According to citations of 'Das Tourbillon' in the auction text, Kullberg produced only three pocket tourbillon chronometers in total, with movement number 6583 documented as the sole example to incorporate a detent escapement.

Evidence for this section
  • “機芯編號 6583”
  • “機芯 Manual”
  • “One Minute Tourbillon Chronometer with Earnshaw Spring Detent Escapement*”
  • “Dial and movement signed”
  • “Kullberg made only 3 pocket tourbillon chronometers of which this is the only one with detent escapment”
  • “In Das Tourbillon, it is recorded that Victor Kullberg produced only three tourbillon pocket chronometers, of which a single example incorporated a detent escapement - the present example.”

Documentary Record and Provenance

Although the auction metadata lists a date of 'Circa 1890', original firm workbooks preserved at the Guildhall Library record that work on this watch began on 10 November 1897, several years after Victor Kullberg's death in 1890. A subsequent workbook entry notes that the dial was ordered from Mr Wills on 19 February 1899 at a cost of £8.

The watch was exhibited at the 1900 Paris Exhibition. Having remained unsold without an initial commission, it was purchased on 21 August 1913 by American collector Elliot Cabot Lee.

Evidence for this section
  • “年份 Circa 1890”
  • “Following his death in 1890, the firm passed to his two sons and nephew and continued in operation until the ateliers were destroyed during the Second World War.”
  • “The original workbooks preserved at the Guildhall Library, Corporation of London, record that work on the present watch commenced on 10 November 1897.”
  • “A further entry notes the dial ordered from Mr Wills on 19 February 1899 at a cost of £8.”
  • “The watch was exhibited at the Paris Exhibition of 1900 and may well have been created expressly for this occasion, as no contemporary commission is recorded.”
  • “It remained unsold until 21 August 1913, when it was purchased by Mr Elliott C. Lee, an American citizen.”
  • “Elliot Cabot Lee (1854–1920) was a prominent Bostonian watch collector who, between 1885 and 1920, quietly built one of the most significant collections of complicated watches in the world.”

Open research questions

  • Does the tourbillon carriage or internal movement plate bear marks or numbers indicating whether the carriage was made out-of-house or internally at Victor Kullberg?
  • Why does the auction title heading assign 'Circa 1890' when both the Guildhall workbooks (commenced 10 November 1897) and the Fred Thoms case hallmark (1898) reflect production in the late 1890s?

Source evidence

Recorded claims and source quotations for Victor Kullberg One Minute Tourbillon Chronometer with Earnshaw Spring Detent Escapement
FieldSource-reported valueSource quotation
Movement Number6583“機芯編號 6583”
Case Material18k yellow gold“材料 18k yellow gold”
Diameter56mm diameter“尺寸 56mm diameter”
Case Maker MarkFT for Fred Thoms and year letter 1898“case with makers mark FT for Fred Thoms and year letter 1898”
EscapementEarnshaw Spring Detent Escapement“One Minute Tourbillon Chronometer with Earnshaw Spring Detent Escapement*”
Exhibition History1900 Paris Exhibition“The watch was exhibited at the Paris Exhibition of 1900”
Dial Order RecordOrdered from Mr Wills on 19 February 1899 (£8)“A further entry notes the dial ordered from Mr Wills on 19 February 1899 at a cost of £8.”
First Recorded PurchaserElliott C. Lee (purchased 21 August 1913)“It remained unsold until 21 August 1913, when it was purchased by Mr Elliott C. Lee, an American citizen.”

Visible details

  • White enamel dial with black Roman numerals and an outer railway minute track.
  • Maker signature 'VICTOR KULLBERG LONDON 6583' below 12 o'clock.
  • Up/Down power reserve indication sector situated below the signature.
  • Subsidiary seconds dial with blued steel hand at 6 o'clock.
  • Blued steel spade hands for hours and minutes.
  • Polished 18k yellow gold open-face case with a fluted crown and rounded bow at 12 o'clock.

Research qualifications

  • The internal tourbillon cage and Earnshaw spring detent escapement are not visible from the dial-side photograph.
  • The source listing states 'Circa 1890' in the heading fields, but firm workbooks record commencement on 10 November 1897 and case hallmarks date to 1898.

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

Consulted source

Victor Kullberg The Geneva Watch Auction: XXIII

Reviewed 2026-10-21 · Record 4ada1ed0e4

Terms in this record

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

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