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The Encyclopedia of Horology

Geneva, Switzerland

Henry Capt

Partially verified

Complicated watches, musical automata, and chronometers

History

Following Henry Daniel Capt's death, the workshop was managed from 1844 by his son Charles Henri Samuel Capt.

The company expanded its retail presence significantly, opening a shop on the Rue du Rhône in 1855 and establishing branches in London, Paris, Nice, and New York. The brand garnered prestigious recognition at the Geneva Observatory chronometry competitions during the late 1870s and 1880s.

The extended history summarises the open references listed under Sources; each statement was checked against the cited passage. Confirm key dates in period documents before relying on them.

Major innovations

  • Henry Capt was among the first in Geneva to utilize pinned cylinders and tuned steel combs for musical mechanisms.
  • The firm achieved distinction in 1882 for the first prize awarded to a watch featuring a palladium balance-spring.

Known markings

  • Post-acquisition, the firm used variations such as H. Capt Horloger, Maison Gallopin Successeurs.

Serial numbers

No serial-number system for this maker is recorded in the cited references.

Collecting significance

The catalogued pieces listed on this page show the kinds of objects auction houses, dealers and museums attribute to this maker; each attribution is the source's own.

In the object catalogue

5 catalogued objects are recorded under Henry Capt. Attributions are as given by each source and are not independent authentication.

  • Front view of the Henry Capt mignonette carriage clock showing the dial and gorge case.
  • Front closed cover of the Henry Capt hunter-case pocket watch showing gold and enamel ornamentation
  • The Henry Capt pendant watch showing the enamel-painted back cover featuring three putti in a flower, with an attached chain and red stone fob.
  • Front view of the Henry Capt quarter-repeating watch showing the off-set dial and automaton pastoral scene.
  • Three-quarter front view of the Henry Capt carriage clock showing bamboo-style corner pillars and calendar dials

Sources & references

  1. Henry Capt - Watch-Wiki - Das Uhrenlexikon, Watch-Wiki, retrieved 2026-11-03 (paraphrased; text © the publisher)
  2. Capt, Henry Daniel - Watch-Wiki - Das Uhrenlexikon, Watch-Wiki, retrieved 2026-11-03 (paraphrased; text © the publisher)
  3. Henry Daniel Capt (1773-1841) :: museum-digital:baden-württemberg, bawue.museum-digital.de, retrieved 2026-11-03 (paraphrased; text © the publisher)
  4. Henry Capt Enamel Painting Pocket Watch - MacauTimepiece Museum, Macau Time Museum, retrieved 2026-11-03 (paraphrased; text © the publisher)
  5. (#278) Henry Capt, Sotheby's, retrieved 2026-11-03 (paraphrased; text © the publisher)
  6. Capt. An extremely fine and rare 18K white gold tonneau-shaped minute repeating wristwatch with Breguet numerals, SIGNED HENRY CAPT, GENEVE, NO. 2866, CIRCA 192, Christie's, retrieved 2026-11-03 (paraphrased; text © the publisher)

Where sources disagree, the disagreement is stated rather than resolved silently.