French Revolutionary Centre Seconds Pocket Watch

A very rare and interesting French silver verge watch, with a complex dial showing centre seconds and calendar subdials showing the time, day of the week, date of the month, and month. Made during the Revolution, it shows a proclamation, still supporting the old king who was still in favour.

MOVEMENT : Gilded verge movement with finely pierced balance bridge and large silver regulator disk. Blued steel screws, ratchet wheel and click. Numbered 826 on the dial plate.

In very good condition, and running well.

All of the calendar features are complete and working correctly.

DIAL : A very complex white enamel dial, with centre seconds and subsidiary dials for the time, day of the week, date and month.

Proclamation of the French Revolution written in red across the top edge, and blue highlights to the bottom edge.

In very good condition, with no repairs, very light damage to the edge at 3 and 6, and two very light hairlines from the centre of the time dial to MAY, and the other from the centre to 7 on the date dial.

CASE : Silver with worn French silver mark to the centre of the inner back, and worn case number 8759. Plain back and engraved bezel.

The case is in good condition. The bezel shuts correctly, and the crystal is almost perfect, with just one scratch just above the centre. The silver is fine except for a couple of very light dents and three scratches around the opening catch stud on the back.

The proclamation on the dial reads :

VIVE LE ROY ET LA NATION A PARIS

and was used early on during the French revolution Soon after this, Louis XVI would no longer be popular, so this dates the watch quite precisely to around 1789.