Chronometry: Pocket: tobias london ? Chronometre Key Wind Pocket Watch

[ArsenicLaced]

hey guys, im in desperate need of information. i just got this beautiful key wind pocket watch as a gift, and i know very little about it. the seller didnt even list the movement size or the jewel count. i think he even guessed what time period it was from just from the picture of the civil war guy on the face. any info would be appreciated.

 

[richiec]

Doubt the watch was made in London or by Tobias, it looks Swiss, skeletonized. Looks to be 11 jewels. Don't know if that guy is from the Civil War or some other conflict. The hairspring is damaged so probably won't keep time.

 

[ArsenicLaced]

i though the movement looked similar to the "MI-CHRONOMETRE" movements.

 

[ArsenicLaced]

god i hope it isnt a mi-chronometre. damn it

 

[gmorse]

Hi ArsenicLaced,

Doubt the watch was made in London or by Tobias, it looks Swiss, skeletonized.

I'm afraid Richie is quite right, it's a Swiss piece with a spurious name; the Tobias name was often used on Swiss fakes, in the attempt to deceive potential customers. It's a tangential lever and naming it as a chronometer is equally false.

Regards,

Graham

 

[pmwas]

OK, now - after all that's been said, do NOT throw this watch away and if you do, throw it hard enough so that I could catch it.
At the time, the Swiss were doing similar things the Chinese are doing now.
Some watches were really high quality and marked so, some were low quality and marked adequately, while some were low to mid grade, but marked 'chronometre' and with inadequate jewel cound and 'famous' brand names.

That's even common among the watches made by 'good' makers like Georges Favre Jacot - many (if not most) 19th Century GFJ made watches for Russia have false jewel count stated on the cuvette.

This watch is not an English Tobias, it's not a chronometer and it does not have 22 jewels (looks like 11-15, depending what's on the dial side).

If it was mine - I'd check if the numbers of the mvt (under the dial, so you need a watchmaker for that) and the case match - one of the two numbers stamped on the cuvette should be the movement number.
If they do - it's a very nice, old, mid-grade Swiss watch of the time with a fancy dial and it's not any bad at all.

If they do not - you have a recased fancy dial movement which makes it worse.

 

[Tom McIntyre]

I think it actually reads demi-Chronometre. The use of "joyaux" for jewels also seems strange to me. I would have thought it translated to 22 joys.

I agree with Paul that it is a fun watch but obviously not a real timekeeper.