French 18K pink gold open faced pocket watch Circa 1838-1893

Pink gold open faced pocket watch
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A fine French 18 carat pink gold open faced pocket watch, retailed by Vever at 19 rue de la Paix, Paris, dating between 1838 and 1893, as confirmed by the French chimère hallmark. This watch features a hand wound mechanical lever movement, signed and numbered on the dust cover. The white enamel dial displays Roman numerals for the hours, an outer chemin de fer (railway) minute track with Arabic numerals, spade hands, and a subsidiary seconds dial at 6 o’clock. The round 18 carat pink gold case features an engraved case back and a dust cover signed and numbered by Vever. The case bears the French chimère hallmark, confirming its 18 carat gold content and dating the piece to between 1838 and 1893.
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Diameter: 48 mm
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Weight: 87.5 g
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Signed: Vever, 19 rue de la Paix, Paris
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Vever
Founded in Metz in 1821 by Pierre-Paul Vever, the house relocated to Paris following the Franco-Prussian War of 1870, when Ernest Vever established the workshop and boutique at 19 rue de la Paix — the very heart of Parisian luxury. The Vever name became synonymous with the finest Art Nouveau jewellery of the late 19th and early 20th centuries. As was standard practice among the great Parisian jewellery houses of the era, Vever sourced movements from the finest Swiss and French watchmakers, housing them in exquisitely crafted cases of gold, enamel, and precious stones. A pocket watch signed by Vever is therefore as much a work of decorative art as it is a timepiece, and represents one of the most accomplished expressions of the Parisian luxury trade of the Belle Époque.