Swiss 18 carat gold pendant watch with lever escapement Circa 1850

Pocket watch with garnet stone setting and chatelaine
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A pendant watch with garnet stone setting and chatelaine, made by Fritz Piguet & Bachmann in Genève, Switzerland, circa 1850. The open faced case of this watch, which was crafted from 18 carat gold, features a face set with garnet stones around the dial, a numbered cuvette and a back lid with a monogram. The white enamel dial has blue Arabic hour numerals from 1 to 11 o’clock, a red Arabic numeral for 12 o’clock and gold hands. The numbered movement has an exquisite quality Geneva lever escapement, similar to the movements of Patek, Philippe & Co and Vacheron & Constantin.
Case, cuvette and movement have matching numbers and the cuvette is signed.
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Diameter: 27 mm
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Signed: Piguet & Bachmann Genève
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Piguet & Bachmann
Fritz Piguet & Bachmann were Geneva based watchmakers who specialized in high quality, complex pocket watches during the second half of the 19^th century. They produced superbly adjusted, high end timepieces, including chronometers and repeating pocket watches. Some of their complex watches featured minute repeaters, perpetual calendars, and chronographs.

Their craftsmanship was recognised with awards at international competitions and exhibitions, including:

A first prize at the Geneva Observatory Timing Contest in 1888; A silver medal at the 1878 Universal Exhibition in Paris; A first prize at the 1881 Melbourne Timing Contest.

In 1893, the company delivered a complicated pocket watch with a minute repeater, moon phase, perpetual calendar, and chronograph to the King of Romania.

The company was later known as “Fritz Piguet & Bachmann, Genève, L. Bachmann successeur” and in 1913 the firm was taken over by Maison M. Bader.