Crucifix Form Watch

An 18th Century watch in the style of a 17th Century rock crystal crucifix form watch.  Crucifix shaped full plate gilt movement, decoratively engraved plate, three square baluster pillars.  Pierced and engraved oval cock, pierced and engraved foot.   Fusee and gut with worm and wheel barrel setup between the plates.  Small plain two arm steel balance without hairspring.   Silver gilt dial decorated with champleve light green enamel, small oval framed depiction of Adam and Eve.  

Small silver chapter of Roman numerals, single blue steel hand.  Very unusual crucifix shaped case in the style of an early 17th Century rock crystal watch.   Thick bevel  glasses in silver bezels decorated  with blue and green champleve enamel.  The movement fixed to a silver gilt frame from which the glazed sides are hinged in eight separate sections.  Fixed cast silver finial and pendant with ring bow.

Circa                        1780

Dimensions            68 x 52 x 27mm         

Signed                    Etienne   Bordier   Fecit

An interesting watch constructed in a similar fashion to English work of the mid 18th Century but without a hairspring.  Almost certainly made as a novelty at that time rather than as an attempt to deceive. Two almost identical watches are in the State Historical Cultural Museum, Moscow Kremlin and The Vacheron and Constantin collection.  See "The Treasures of the Kremlin: Masterpieces of Horology" number 20 and plate 9 of "The Technique and History of the Swiss Watch".

This object is eligible for a Certificate of BADA Provenance