Swiss cylinder watch in the form of a strawberry Circa 1880

Gold enamelled form watch
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A Swiss 18 carat gold, enamel, and diamond set form watch shaped like a strawberry, circa 1880. It has a gilt movement with crown winding, a cylinder escapement, three-arm balance spring, and advance/delay adjustment on the balance bridge. The textured strawberry-shaped case is overlaid with translucent red enamel and set with diamonds on the front. The pendant has a stylized ring, and on top are engraved gold leaves. There is a slide in the band to adjust the hours and minutes. The concealed white enamel dial features blue Arabic hours, outer gold dot minute divisions, outermost red Arabic five-minute numerals, fine polychrome enamel scroll and floral decoration on either side, and gold stylized hands.
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Dimensions: 30 × 43 mm
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Weight. 48.1 gr.
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Signed: No name
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A form watch, made in the image of another object, like most Western artworks of the period, was often ecclesiastical or shaped by natural forms.
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The beginnings of the form watch in the history of watchmaking
The crucifix and twelve-lobed flower watches were the most recognizable forms. Some were made from carved rock crystal, others set with gemstones or enamel. These timepieces were impressive and extremely expensive, instantly conveying the owner’s high status to contemporary observers.

The century’s preoccupation with life’s brevity inspired one of the most popular themes for the form watch: the skull watch or memento mori. The movement and dial were concealed within a silver skull-shaped case often made realistically.
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The golden age of the shaped watch with the era of the ‘fancy watch’
The years between 1790 and 1820 were the golden age of the shaped watch. Geneva became the center for making what were then called ‘toys’, where the surprise watch and its mechanism were hidden. These enchanting miniature watches, made of precious metals and set with stones or pearls, were often exquisitely enameled—a skill Genevan artisans excelled in.

The shapes of form watches were inspired by various subjects, including flower baskets or flowers like tulips, pansies, and roses. Others took the form of fruits or animals such as strawberries, cherries, peaches, apples, shells, birds, beetles, fantastic fish, or exotic butterflies.

The present example from the second half of the 19th century follows the exact codes of the golden age of the costume watch. It symbolizes Geneva’s golden age as the world capital of enameled watches, with some being extraordinary, such as certain watches signed by Piguet & Capt.