Featured Chatelaine or Fob watch?

This just arrived today from its voyage from the U.K.

I’m trying to find as many details about it as I can. The seller said it’s a fob watch but I saw an advert for one similar in an old catalogue and it was referred to as a “Chatelaine watch”. When I looked up Chatelaine the examples I saw seem to be the keychain looking thing or attachments. I’m not sure which is correct.

The inscription around the side says, “In memoriam June 22nd & Aug 7th 1901”. I think it could be a momento mori but I didn’t find a name inscribed under the back plate and I’m too scared to force the front off to see if anything is engraved under the face.

The brooch looks old but I don’t think it’s the original. The style under the guilloché looks different vs the watch itself. The brooch is marked “sterling” but no makers mark is visible to me.

The watch is running when wound. I haven’t checked it for accuracy I’m just excited it ticks at all. The very top loop on the watch has a tiny mark but I haven’t been able to I.D. it yet.

Anyway, any thoughts on what’s the correct term (fob vs chatelaine) or who could have made it?

 

pretty...pretty........

 

Thank you! I wish there was a setting for phones on the forum, I do most of my typing on an iPhone.

 

you could look into lapel watch possibly as well perhaps maybe.

 

Hi @BMRT

At first I thought it was part of a chatelaine, which was sort of a Swiss Army Knife for Victorian women, but this is a watch by Henri chatelain

Henri Chatelain Gun Metal/Guilloche Enamel Pedometer, Sold by EB Meyrowitz Paris

Sold for: $129.77
Sold Date: Sep 11, 2017



Chatelaine


Guilloche fobs, including watches, carte de visite (calling cards) and compacts were more decorative - not so functional.

It's a very pretty watch!

 

Welcome, BMRT.

A 'memento mori' is supposed to remind you that your own death could come at any time & to behave accordingly. These dates were meant to remind the owner of 2 other deaths that occurred close together. Could have been aged parent, could have been young child, there's no way for us to know.

I really do not think you are going to find the names of the deceased on the back of the face, so please don't risk looking. If they are not on the inside of the back, they're not there. Such a pretty thing. Is there any indication of the maker on the inside?

Guess I would be inclined to call this a ladies' watch with matching suspension pin. The watch is not designed to be read while attached to the pin, you would have had to take it off the clip. It's not really any different from a ladies' pocket watch of the period, except it's more of a piece of jewellery & meant to be on display. Some brooches have a large, solid, hook hidden out of sight on the back, meant to be worn alone or with a watch attached & are usually called simply 'watch pins'. This one is different in making the attachment so visible.

 

See the photo at the start of this thread. Rest may also be of interest:

https://www.antiquers.com/threads/great-grandmothers-necklace-question.34912/

 

What does the catch on the bow look like?

 

Lovely watch, BMRT, and both watch case and pin are in very good condition.
I'm with Bronwen, a ladies' watch. They are also called ladies' pocket watches, to avoid confusion with wrist watches.
They are called fob watches when they are on a short watch chain, and chatelaine watches when they are on a chatelaine or a long guard chain, slide chain, or sautoir. You can see different ways of wearing an antique ladies' watch in the thread Bronwen posted.

There won't be an inscription under the watch face. The dates were enough reminder for the wearer, she could even run her fingers along them in loving memory.

I agree, the watch pin and the watch didn't start out life together, but they look very good together. They have probably spent most of their lives like this.

The mark looks like a Swiss grouse mark 1882-1934 for .800 silver.

 

Here you go.

 

Unfortunately I did not find anything at all on the inside of the back. No marks, no stamps, nothing. I figured it would have something but it’s completely smooth.

 

The bow pin dates from at least the early 1890s.
It is not Swiss, like the watch, but not British either.
The fineness of the pin is .925, sterling, whereas the watch is .800, if that is indeed a Swiss grouse mark.

 

Thank you for this. It does look nice together at first glance but after looking at it very closely it just didn’t seem like they had been made for each other. I’m surprised it’s older than the watch!

 

It makes total sense that the bow pin and the watch were married. While reading through this thread, I couldn't figure out how any woman could look at her beautiful watch memento while it was pinned to her collar or dress?

 

Google "Guilloche nurses watch" for similar.

That bow pin helps it function. Here are a bunch:

http://www.dunravengallery.com/watches.html

 

Easy! Reach up, turn it around, and look. Milady wore these on her lapel, or blouse, or whatever. That one was definitely meant to be seen, and an inspired marriage!

 

Silver, Really not so easy to have to drop everything from the hand (or hands) to stop, pick up the watch, turn it a bit to see it, and then if it's hung from a collar, it's too close to the face. Even if hung from the chest, it still seems awkward to me. Lucille, I've seen 'em before and I don't doubt there were a ton made for women's fashion and will probably become a fad again (and hopefully for OP, in the near future!)

I just don't think it would be easy or practical to look at a pinned watch. There's not a lot of "wiggle room" when a stick pin is jabbed through the clothing fabric. I wore a pendant watch for only a year in high school because I found it to be not that great to have to pick it up and turn it around to see what time it was.

Perhaps if the lady had big enough tatas, it wouldn't be necessary to pick it up and turn it around to look at it?

Gah, just not something I picture would wear well flapping around on a tata!

 

These were common in their day. The pins have a piece that rotates so you can spin the watch.

I purchased two nurses watches at an estate sale last summer for resale. One had perfectly matching guilloche with both watch and pin, the other was slightly off in color and suspected it might not have original. I think not uncommon for these pins to be switched out.