Help identify 18K watch please

[DigDad]

Our family is keen to find out more about our late grandfather's pocket watch.

It has a a gold case with roman numerals and the inscription LAFIDELE.

The back case has an embossed floral pattern.

The inside case has the letters 18K within a box and the number 69634. There is also the initials JD on this case.

The movement has the word LAFIDELL within a emblem.

(we note that there is a difference from the front LAFIDELE to the movement LAFIDELL)

We would be very pleased to know the manufacurers name and an approx year of manufacture. Any information on the watch-maker such as location and standing would be much appreciated.

Thank you

Digby
New Zealand

[DigDad]

Our family is keen to find out more about our late grandfather's pocket watch.

It has a a gold case with roman numerals and the inscription LAFIDELE.

The back case has an embossed floral pattern.

The inside case has the letters 18K within a box and the number 69634. There is also the initials JD on this case.

The movement has the word LAFIDELL within a emblem.

(we note that there is a difference from the front LAFIDELE to the movement LAFIDELL)

We would be very pleased to know the manufacurers name and an approx year of manufacture. Any information on the watch-maker such as location and standing would be much appreciated.

Thank you

Digby
New Zealand

[John F]

"La Fidele" is French for "Faithful One." Based on this, I'm guessing that it's probably a swiss-made watch. If you can post a picture of the movement, that might help to better identify it.

[DigDad]

Here is a picture of the movement.

Its my first attempt at a watch photo. Hope it is a help for you. I am sorry it is only a jpeg place marker. But if you right click on it and then click view image the photo does come up.

http://img240.imageshack.us/my.php?image=watchmovement2il.jpg

It is only a small photo as the web site said only to post small pics. But I can post a bigger one if needed.

Thank you

Kind Regards

Digby
NZ

[DigDad]

Here is another attempt at showing the photo

http://static.flickr.com/42/105190426_40e3c8b886.jpg?v=0

[John F]

The pic is a little small, but it looks to me like a typical Swiss bar movement. I am not familiar with Swiss watches, so perhaps someone else may be able to tell you more, but I would guess that it dates from the late 1800s or thereabouts. However, Swiss watches of this era are very difficult to date. Unlike the U.S. model for producing watches by a few large companies, Swiss watchmaking was more of a cottage industry, and they often used the ebauche system. An ebauche is an incomplete and unfinished watch produced by one company that was then purchased by anything from a large watchmaking company to a local watchmaker. It was then finished by the latter to anything from a cheap watch to a masterpiece, depending on how much work and material the watchmaker wanted to put into the ebauche. There were literally thousands of these watchmakers and since they often used the same basic ebauche, it is difficult to know who finished it.

You may be able to get a better date by referring to the hallmarks on the case. Here's (http://www.925-1000.com/) a link to an online listing of hallmark info, that might help. A larger picture might also help to determine if it has a cylinder or lever escapement.