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The Encyclopedia of Horology

Pocket watch · Minute repeating pocket watch

Weill & Co. Carillon Grande Sonnerie Minute Repeating Pocket Watch

Partially verified

This early 20th-century Swiss pocket watch functions as a Grande Sonnerie clockwatch with a carillon minute repeater, featuring a movement that sounds the hours and quarters automatically, alongside a minute-repeating function activated by a push-piece. The watch is housed in an 18-karat gold full hunter case that includes an internal cuvette. The white enamel dial is signed "Weill & Co." and displays Arabic numerals, blue steel hands, and a subsidiary seconds dial. A side lever at the 2 o'clock position allows for the selection between "Chime" and "Silence" modes. The gold-plated, three-quarter plate, keyless-wind movement incorporates two separate mainsprings for the time and striking trains, wound by the crown in both directions. The mechanism includes a compensated balance with a blue steel overcoil hairspring, polished steel regulator, and a club-foot lever escapement with jeweled endstones.

Front view of the Weill & Co. pocket watch with the front cover open, displaying the white enamel dial and the Chime/Silence lever on the edge.
Front view of the Weill & Co. pocket watch with the front cover open, displaying the white enamel dial and the Chime/Silence lever on the edge. — Zamanito / Pieces of Time. Rights pending — permission not yet requested. Original source

Catalogue identity

Source
zamanito.com
Category
Pocket watch · Minute repeating pocket watch
Maker / attribution
LW (Weill & Co. listed as retailer/distributor)
Reference
Not recorded
Catalogue / lot identifier
Source URL identifies the listing
Source-reported date
Early 20th century
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 full hunter case crafted from 18-karat gold. The exterior provides a plain, polished finish, while the interior is equipped with an internal cuvette covering the movement. The case includes an integrated loop for a watch chain.

The white enamel dial, reported as restored, features a traditional layout with black Arabic numerals for the hours. It includes a subsidiary seconds register positioned at the 6 o'clock mark and utilizes blue steel hands for time indication. The dial is signed "Weill & Co.", identifying the distributor or commissioning entity.

Evidence for this section
  • “قاب این اثر از نوع تمام‌شکاری (Full Hunter) از جنس طلای ۱۸ عیار ساده ساخته شده”
  • “صفحه ساعت از جنس مینای سفید و مرمت‌شده معرفی شده که دارای امضا، ارقام عربی”

Movement and Complications

The internal mechanism is a gold-plated, three-quarter plate movement designed for keyless winding. The caliber is powered by two independent mainsprings—one dedicated to the timekeeping gear train and another reserved for the Grande Sonnerie striking system—which are tensioned by rotating the crown in both directions. The escapement is a club-foot lever type, supported by a compensated balance wheel with a blue steel overcoil hairspring and jeweled endstones for the pallet arbor.

The striking complications consist of a Grande Sonnerie that automatically sounds the hours and quarters every fifteen minutes on three polished steel gongs. A minute-repeating function is also present, which, when triggered by a push-piece on the case band at the 6 o'clock position, provides a chiming indication of the current time on demand. A selector lever located at 2 o'clock allows the user to switch the striking functionality between "Chime" and "Silence" modes.

Evidence for this section
  • “موتور ساعت از نوع کوک بدون کلید با ساختار سه‌چهارم صفحه و آبکاری طلا”
  • “سیستم صوتی این ساعت توانایی نواختن خودکار ساعت‌ها و ربع‌ساعت‌ها را روی سه گنگ در هر پانزده دقیقه دارا بوده”
  • “بر روی بدنه و در موقعیت ساعت ۲، یک اهرم جانبی کوچک با علامت «Chime – Silence» تعبیه شده”

Signatures and Markings

The watch bears a specific maker's mark consisting of the letters "LW" enclosed within a rectangular border. While the dial is clearly marked with the name "Weill & Co.", these two identifiers delineate the relationship between the retailing brand and the manufacturing entity.

The watch is attributed to Swiss manufacture during the early 20th century, consistent with the construction details observed in the gold-plated, high-complication horological movements of that period.

Evidence for this section
  • “نشان سازنده به‌صورت «LW» درون یک مستطیل روی این قطعه ثبت شده است”
  • “کشور سازنده: سوئیس”
  • “دوره ساخت: اوایل قرن بیستم”

Open research questions

  • What is the specific connection between 'Weill & Co.' and the 'LW' maker mark on the movement?
  • Does the serial number, if present on the inner case back, allow for a more precise identification of the movement blank manufacturer?

Source evidence

Recorded claims and source quotations for Weill & Co. Carillon Grande Sonnerie Minute Repeating Pocket Watch
FieldSource-reported valueSource quotation
MakerWeill & Co.“امضا، ارقام عربی، عقربک‌های فولادی آبی‌رنگ”
CountrySwitzerland“کشور سازنده: سوئیس”
Case material18-karat gold“قاب این اثر از نوع تمام‌شکاری (Full Hunter) از جنس طلای ۱۸ عیار ساده ساخته شده”
DialWhite enamel, restored“صفحه ساعت از جنس مینای سفید و مرمت‌شده معرفی شده”
ComplicationsGrande Sonnerie, Carillon minute repeater“قابلیت‌های پیچیده زنگ‌زن Grande Sonnerie و تکرارکننده دقایق (Minute Repeating) با سه گنگ”
Movement typeKeyless-wind, three-quarter plate“موتور ساعت از نوع کوک بدون کلید با ساختار سه‌چهارم صفحه و آبکاری طلا”
Control leverChime/Silence selector at 2 o'clock“بر روی بدنه و در موقعیت ساعت ۲، یک اهرم جانبی کوچک با علامت «Chime – Silence» تعبیه شده”

Visible details

  • Side lever at 2 o'clock marked 'Chime' and 'Silence'
  • Push-piece on the case band at 6 o'clock
  • Dial signed 'Weill & Co.'
  • Full hunter case with 18k gold construction

Research qualifications

  • The dial is described as having been restored.
  • The maker mark 'LW' is noted as present, but its relationship to 'Weill & Co.' is not further defined.

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

Consulted source

Rare Minute Repeating Carillon Clockwatch

Reviewed 2026-11-02 · Record 9c459b5f98

Terms in this record

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

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