Niello Pocket Watch Cases
Niello (nye-el-oh), inspired by the great Art Nouveau and Art Deco movements, a new type of ornamented pocket watch case appeared in the early 1900s. The niello pocket watch cases are unique, they became a canvas for outstanding art works that will likely never be duplicated.
The term niello comes from the Latin word nigellum that is the diminutive of niger (black.) It was a technique used by the ancient Greeks, Romans, Egyptians and Persians. Niello is a black or blackish-blue composition of lead, silver, copper, sulfur and ammonium chloride. The mixture is fused onto an engraved or cut-out metal base by firing the mix in a process similar to champleve' enameling.
Silver was the most often used metal for niello objects since the soft white silver color contrasted beautifully with the darker niello. Rose-gold inlay work was also seen in combination with niello and tri-color effects were achieved by the use of rose-gold, niello and silver.
When the niello was heated and fired onto a silver watch case, it actually fused with the silver very strongly, almost as if it were soldered in place. The niello would be filled, finished and polished, leaving the surface of the watch case smooth and flat. One can readily assume that the process of engraving the areas which were to be filled with niello, the firing stages, and the finishing stages were very time consuming and therefore costly.
Aside from the production end, the niello cases also had to be designed by artists who would pre-determine the subject matter and then the cases were finished by engravers who produced the fine details.
The costly niello cases were never produced in quantity by the American factories; however, a few factories or workshops in Switzerland did specialize in case manufacture with an emphasis on decoration and design. These fine makers included the Huegenin Brothers of Le Locle, Duchene of Geneva, and Ed Favre of Le Locle. Longines of St, Imier also played a prominent role in the design and marketing of decorative watches during the early 1900s.
By 1929, due to world economy and the increasing popularity of the wristwatches, the pocket watch market was declining quickly. All of this leads to the fact that niellos, a representative form of an outstanding period in design, were produced in very limited numbers. "We will never again see such a magnificent niche in the art of watch case design and decoration."
Antique 1900s Swiss Made
Niello Pocket Watch
Lever Set 15 Rubis
.800 Silver Hunter Case
A truly unique timepiece, today we have a Swiss made niello pocket watch case from the early 1900s.
It is a manual wind pocket watch lever set(*) mechanism in a hunter case design. Sub-second hand and 15 rubis Swiss made movement.
(*)Lever set - to set the time, open front cover and pull the lever escapement.
Still featuring the original white porcelain dial with easy-to-read bold Roman Numerals and "railroad" minute track. The sub-second hand is located at 6 o'clock position. Also, original Louis XV gold matching hands.
The Art Nouveau and Art Deco influences were the main artistic impulses behind these rare niello cases. The Art Nouveau period was rich in free flowing designs featuring animals, flowers, and themes inspired by nature. The period began in the early 1890s and was influenced by the symbolist movement in art and literature.
This rare timepiece was not the exception, a beautifully niello hunter .800 silver case with rose gold inlaid horse scene on the front cover, the back is also standard niello decorated with a horse and a man scene. In overall, the niello case is in very good condition.
After 100 years, this Swiss made pocket watch is running and keeping great time. This is a unique piece of history that will make an excellent addition to any pocket watch collection!
*The pocket watch holder is not included with the purchase of this pocket watch.
Thank you for looking! Please feel free to contact us with any question, or respectful offers.
Case Markings:
ANCRE 15 RUBIS
No. 137256
0.800
1372 56
K & B
Measurements (mm):
Case Diameter 51
Case w/crown 66
Case Thickness 16
Vintage watches are traditionally smaller than today's watches. Men’s watches typically measure between 29-36mm wide (some larger, some smaller) excluding the crown. In the listing details we typically try to do our best to list all pertinent dimensions of a watch. If you don't see it, or we failed to do so, please reach out to us. Women’s watches from the 1900s-1970s were also much smaller than today's offerings. Please also feel free to ask any questions you have pertaining to size.
We prefer to shoot photographs outside when weather is permitting. However, when we shoot indoors, please be aware that we shoot our photographs inside of lightboxes that are lit with 360 LED bulbs. This indeed magnifies any flaws. Usually, they are much less obvious to the naked eye. Having said that, we never photoshop any of our photography, remove blemishes, etc. We adjust the lighting, when necessary, but what you see is what you are getting, and we take pride in that.
The condition is pre-owned.
The item may have some signs of cosmetic wear but is fully operational and functions as intended.
Please review the photos and feel free to ask any questions you may have.
It will be carefully packed.
Please view our other listings.
Thank you for looking!
WA-4051
