Brass-Bound Rosewood Watch Box with Base Ejector, c.1890
A brass-bound rosewood presentation box made to hold a single pocket watch, English or French, from around the turn of the century. It is the better grade of case: a brass strip runs the full length of every edge rather than sitting only at the corners, and a shaped brass cartouche is let into the lid, left blank and never engraved.
The lid is lined in ivory silk satin, the base in taupe velvet with a raised padded bezel sized to a watch of about 45mm, held face up. A button set into the underside works an ejector made to lift the watch clear of its recess. The box measures 11 by 8.5cm and stands about 25mm deep.
It carries no maker or retailer name on the case or in the lining. The rosewood lid keeps its colour and figure under light scratching; the base has worn back to bare wood through the old finish, and the silk satin shows the foxing and water marks of age. The brass binding, hinge and cartouche are intact, and the lid closes as it should.
