This antique watch has silver marks stamped in the case back but apart from ‘925’ I don’t understand the other markings.
Please take a photo of the watch face (dial) and caliber.
London (Zodiac sign of Leo) import hallmarks for sterling silver (925), 1910 to 1911.
Blog: Leo Upside Down
Imported items were marked with the decimal equivalent of the fineness of sterling silver, ·925 for 92.5% fine silver, in an oval such as the mark shown here.
Date letter “o” - 1909/1910.
London Assay Office town mark for watch cases manufactured in Britain was a leopard’s head, but the town mark used on imported watches became the zodiac symbol Leo on a crossed back ground in an oval surround.
The importer’s mark is that of George Stockwell, a well-known importer of watches and other items.
Adrianswin, please send me a high resolution photo of the watch mechanism.
The four marks are correctly identified. The least discernable mark is the G S of George Stockwell. This Cortébert “Trench watch” is made in a canton of Bern, Switzerland by a company originally set up in the late 18th century by Abraham Louis Juillard. The company also made watch parts for Rolex and other luxury brands.
The London date letter “O” for 1909-10, predated trench warfare in Flanders by some four years or more which confirms that the “trench watch”, like the “Trench Coat”, was invented before the trench not because of it. It just became popular because of trench vicissitudes
In fact the first wrist watch was designed in 1810 by Abraham-Louis Breguet for Queen Caroline Murat of Naples according to Breguet data. Patek has a different view!
Makes sense the ladies, lacking frock and waist coats, would need to pioneer wrist watches.
King Charles II inaugurated the “vest” or waistcoat along with the modern ideal of the three-piece suit and the vest easily accommodated a watch worn on a chain held in the pocket.
By regency times the pocket watch had a chain usually of gold draped from the left pocket where the watch was to the right where a seal (a wax stamper not a live animal) was kept for much the same reason as modern man stores his password for his Iphone privately.
Come the late 19th century, Londoners were so wealthy – at least some of them – the seal was replaced by a sovereign case also of silver with the coins held inside on a spring loaded platform.
So does your watch work? It is well worth cleaning and restoring for another 115 years of service, hopefully without any more trenches once we are finished in Ukraine The leather strap it is missing would have also had a sterling silver buckle.
You will note it lacks a minute hand which his later watches included. This more precise timer addition may have been war-inspired where infantry assaults were timed to the second with artillery ranging.
“Friendly fire” wasn’t all that friendly even then.
Christopher
Guildhall Antiques
Thanks for such a concise explanation regarding this trench watch. Unfortunately it’s not working and it isn’t really something that I’d be interested in adding to my watch collection, otherwise I’d look into having it restored. I’ll probably just look at selling it, so at least your background information on it might help me find a buyer.
Thanks for taking the time to fully explain everything.
Adrian
That is what this forum is set up to achieve. Accurate information on products some of which are being exchanged or sold.
There seems to be a significant variant between the asking price for a functioning Cortébert and something which is waiting for a clean and a possible update on worn parts.
Christopher
Guildhall Antiques
I’ve had this watch for donkey’s years and can’t even remember how it came into my possession. Having read all the information you’ve sent regarding this little watch I’m wondering whether I should get it serviced and try to find an appropriate strap.
My comments were merely the end result of some diligent research by others on this forum.
You are asking questions best addressed to your friendly local horologist or watchmaker. Watches about 115 years old, stored for the most part, will need taking apart and old oil which will have solidified cleaning and the moving parts re-lubing… There may be some wear mostly on the teeth of the drive wheel but these were sturdy watches made of durable metals.
Think of it as taking your car into get an oil change! Because there were so many of these watches made, parts should you need them, are fairly source-able.
Straps? Plain leather with a silver or silver-plated buckle. You won’t find an original. Leather simply doesn’t survive that well, but if you got really lucky you might find an original buckle your local cobbler can use to replace the buckles on a modern replacement leather strap. The enamel dial can be lightly cleaned and you can either leave, replace or re-polish your protective glass if it’s the original and polish the case.
Value after you do all that? Probably still under 150 quid (insurable value twice that) but we will have learned a lot about the history of its time and how watches were made pre-WWI when our (great) grandfather’s depended upon them to liaise with their mistresses and other time-sensitive stuff. Priceless!.
A lot of the mechanism is made of parts also found in high-end watches of the time and, were those parts in something with a recognizable name, you would be paying perhaps 10 times as much for the benefit from the same machinery!
Which always ticks me off a little.
Christopher
Guildhall Antiques
Many thanks once again for your time and effort. It’s much appreciated!