Fob Watch and Bow Brooch with an H Monogram, c.1900
This is that increasingly rare thing: an antique ladies' fob watch still paired with its original bow brooch, the two made to be worn together. Dating from around 1895 to 1905, it is a small Swiss pendant watch in the Belle Epoque taste - the sort of piece a lady would have pinned to her lapel or blouse.
The demi-hunter case is finished in a dark oxidised tone and set with applied rose-gold Roman numerals around a central glazed aperture, so the time can be read at a glance without opening the cover. Lift it and you find a crisp white enamel dial with an outer Arabic minute track and slender rose-gold hands, one carrying a small gem-set counterpoise that catches the light. Behind the movement, the caseback has been deliberately pierced with the letter 'H' - the initial of its original owner, a personal touch that gives the watch a history of its own.
The movement is a gilt Swiss bar movement with a cylinder escapement, wound by the crown and set via a pin-set pusher. It winds, sets and runs well. Suspended from a matching black-enamel and gold bow brooch, the whole ensemble presents as a considered, wearable antique rather than a loose watch.
Honest notes: there is a small enamel chip at the VI, which sits hidden beneath the cover in normal wear, and the case metal is unmarked. It has not been serviced, so we would suggest the usual clean and oil if it is to be worn daily. None of this detracts from what it is - a complete, characterful matched set from the turn of the century.
