Russian rare boxwood cylinder pocket watch Circa 1850

Rare boxwood cylinder watch
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A rare Russian boxwood cylinder watch, circa 1850, wooden cylinder movement, wooden balance, wooden regulator with steel main-spring, wooden dial and hands, black painted Arabic numerals, subsidiary seconds, boxwood case and pendant, case signed.
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Diameter: 35.5 mm
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Signed: Bronikoff  Russia
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Bronnikoff was a sculptor with thorough mechanical knowledge, famous in the second half of the 19th century for his skill in utilising wood and bone to make charms, decorative objects, and watches. He lived in Vjatka, named after the river Vjatka, a tributary of the Kama, between the Volga and the Oural. The continental climate of the town, hot in the summer and extremely cold in the winter, influenced the craftsman’s predilection for wood and bone, as these materials are not subject to the thermal variations created by extreme temperatures.