Finally have photos of th 18k Split Second HC Chrono PW! Please take a look...

[Watchismo]

http://www.watchismo.com/ChronoPocket.jpg

I am looking for someone to help me identify a pocketwatch's maker. It was given to my by a close friend for a possible sale. My experience is only with wristwatches and never a pocketwatch. This one seems very special and might be a very interesting mystery to solve.

I met a pocket watch collector who saw it and got very very excited about it but was unable to provide the expertise to truly find out if it could be an Audemars or just an Ebauche.

Here are the details;

Turn of the century 18K casework Split Second HC Chronograph with Snail Cam regulator. Overall watch is in Mint condition. Truly a beautiful piece of machinery.

If you have any information that may help give us clues to it's maker, please post them here.

Thank you very much for your time and expertise!

Best,
Mitch

[Watchismo]

http://www.watchismo.com/ChronoPocket.jpg

I am looking for someone to help me identify a pocketwatch's maker. It was given to my by a close friend for a possible sale. My experience is only with wristwatches and never a pocketwatch. This one seems very special and might be a very interesting mystery to solve.

I met a pocket watch collector who saw it and got very very excited about it but was unable to provide the expertise to truly find out if it could be an Audemars or just an Ebauche.

Here are the details;

Turn of the century 18K casework Split Second HC Chronograph with Snail Cam regulator. Overall watch is in Mint condition. Truly a beautiful piece of machinery.

If you have any information that may help give us clues to it's maker, please post them here.

Thank you very much for your time and expertise!

Best,
Mitch

[neighmond]

I think I overhauled an old IWC that looked alot like that one.

Chaz

[Dr. Jon]

Many fine makers bought in ebauches but my guess is Agassiz. They used the snail regulator.

The J&S case with matching number suggests that the watch was an American size, more evidence of Agassiz but far from a lock.

Very nice watch.

[Don Dahlberg]

About every other month we get a question like this at the NAWCC Museum. Clearly a well finished watch, yet it is not signed. I cannot understand how someone could go throught the trouble to produce such a well finished watch with complications and not even sign it. They all seem to use the same parts with only minor variations. I know of no way to identify them.

Don Dahlberg

[Watchismo]

Interesting...That's the second time someone told me that they thought it's likely an Agassiz.

Then, I also got this;
When dealing with pocket chronographs, the various hints to who the maker was become less definite.

One place to start: There is a possiblity (a strong one in my opinion) that the case is not Swiss made. I would find the hallmarks and this may well give you an "about" dating of the watch.

"While it is a split seconds watch, the mechanism is not like a contemporary split seconds watch, placing it, I think, before the 20th century. For this reason, I do not think it is made by a brand that is still know to this day. I think this is very high class workshop production.

This means, if the movement is signed at all, then it is likely to be signed under the dial. Otherwise, you will have no clear way of determing who made this movement, other than dating it "between 1870-1900"

As for workmanship and quality, it is a top class piece."

Given this information, what do you feel this watch could ultimately be worth? And what is the likelihood of the dial being signed on the back?

Thanks again...

[Dr. Jon]

We do not do value on this board. You may find comparables in the Shugart book or by looking at the on-line antiquorum catalog.

A split or rattrapante is a significant complication.

There is a small possibility that it has a signature under the dial. I have never seen a signature in the back of the dial. Sometimes there are initials of the dial maker but not of the retailer.

Date information from the case is hard. It is a US made J&S case, very fine and distinguished by their almost unique capability to match the movement serial number. The problem is that there is little information extant on this maker. There is very little information on this company on Neibling's book and in my discussions with him, he indicated he still has little information on this company