Breguet-Style Blued Hands on White Enamel, c.1912
This is a Zenith open-face pocket watch in 0.800 silver, made in Switzerland around 1912. Zenith needs little introduction: founded in 1865 in Le Locle, the company won the Grand Prix for chronometric precision at the 1900 Paris World's Fair and went on to record 2,330 chronometry prizes, a figure no other maker has matched. This watch carries the Zenith signature twice, in red on the dial and engraved on the movement bridge, with the movement's own serial number (1,389,366) stamped near the going barrel.
The case is fully hallmarked: a 0.800 fineness stamp sits alongside the Swiss capercaillie (grouse) control mark used by the Bureau de Controle between 1882 and 1933 to certify silver at or above 0.800 fine, plus Zenith's own star case-sponsor's mark. Together these confirm the case passed official Swiss assay. The case back exterior carries a plain polished finish with a vacant cartouche, no monogram.
At 49mm this is a substantial watch. The white enamel dial carries Arabic numerals, a subsidiary seconds register at 6, and a set of Breguet-style (moon-tip) blued steel hands, a nicer detail than the plain spade hands typically found on comparable Zenith pocket watches of this era. There is a faint hairline in the enamel near the 6 sub-dial, visible only on close inspection with the naked eye, and a small scratch on the crystal. Beyond that the case and dial present very well.
Mechanically the watch is in good working order: it winds smoothly, sets the hands cleanly via the pull-out crown, and runs consistently. The case back opens with a clean snap-close, and the dust cover beneath is present and unmarked.
No box or papers accompany the watch. It was acquired as part of a private collection.
A well-documented, fully authenticated Zenith in a wearable, substantial size, from a maker whose reputation in precision timekeeping is genuinely unmatched.
