Swiss gold lever pocket watch with enamel portrait Circa 1833

Gold lever with enamel portrait by Vacheron & Constantin
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A rare and exquisite Swiss gold enamel pocket watch from Geneva featuring the portrait of Franz Josef I, the Emperor of Austria and King of Hungary, circa 1833-1840. This watch features an enamel dial with Roman radial hours, an outer minutes track, a subsidiary dial for the seconds, and beautifully decorated gold hands. It has a bridge keywind movement with lever escapement and three-arm brass balance. The 18K chased and engraved case and bezel are finely decorated with foliate designs. In the centre, there is an oval enamel panel that depicts a portrait of Emperor Franz Josef I, who was the Emperor of Austria and King of Hungary. The portrait shows him in uniform and robes, wearing the Order of the Golden Fleece and the Austrian breast star of the Grand Cross of the Military Order of Maria Theresa.
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Diameter: 45 mm
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Weight: 57 g
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Signed: Vacheron & Constantine
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Franz Joseph I, born on August 18, 1830, at Schönbrunn Palace and passing away there on November 21, 1916, belonged to the House of Habsburg-Lorraine and held the title of Emperor of Austria from December 2, 1848, until his passing. He also served as the apostolic King of Hungary and King of Bohemia. His reign of nearly 68 years exceeded that of any other ruler in his dynasty. Franz Joseph was married to Elisabeth of Austria-Hungary, affectionately known as Sisi, until her tragic death in 1898.
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Vacheron Constantin SA is a highly regarded Swiss luxury watch and clock manufacturer founded in 1755 by Jean-Marc Vacheron. It is one of the oldest watch manufacturers in the world in continuous operation since its foundation. Jean-Marc Vacheron was an independent watchmaker in Geneva, Switzerland. At the age of 24, he signed on as his first apprentice, thus founding a business by clarifying his intention to pass on his skills. In 1770, the company created the world’s first horological complication, and nine years later, it designed the first engine-turned dials.

The son of Jean-Marc Vacheron, Abraham Vacheron (1760-1843) took over the family business in 1785. In 1810, Jacques Barthélemi Vacheron (1787-1864), the grandson of the founder, became the head of the company. He was the first to initiate the company’s exports to France and Italy. Later, Jacques-Barthélemy realized that he needed a partner to travel overseas and sell the company’s products. Therefore, in 1819, François Constantin became his associate. The company continued its activities under the name Vacheron & Constantin. Both men shared the same interest in sophisticated and complicated watches. François Constantin had a keen eye for business, opening several new markets during three decades of travelling for the company. On July 5, 1819, he wrote to Jacques Barthélémi Vacheron from Turin. In his letter, the phrase that became the company’s motto: “Do better if possible, and that is always possible.”

In 1833, Vacheron and Constantin hired Georges-Auguste Leschot to supervise the manufacturing operations. Leschot was an inventor, and his creations turned out to be a success for the company. His inventions had a significant impact on the watchmaking industry in general. He was the first person to standardize watch movements into calibres. In 1844, Leschot was awarded a gold medal from the Arts Society of Geneva, which highly appreciated his pantographic device, a device that was able to mechanically engrave small watch parts and dials.

After François Constantin died in 1854 and Jacques-Barthélemy Vacheron’s death in 1863, the company was taken over by a series of heirs. In 1862, the company became a member of the Association for Research into non-magnetic materials. Vacheron & Constantin, Fabricants, Genève became the official name of the company in 1877. In 1880, the company started using the Maltese cross as its symbol until today. This was inspired by a component of the barrel, which had a cross-shape and was used for limiting the tension within the mainspring. In 1887, Vacheron & Constantin was reorganized into a joint-stock company. The first Vacheron & Constantin boutique in Geneva was opened in 1906. During the Great Depression, the company found itself in a difficult situation. In 1936, Charles Constantin became the head of the company, for the first time since the 1850s a representative from the Constantin family became the president of Vacheron & Constantin. However, in 1940, Georges Ketterer acquired the majority portion of the stock of Vacheron & Constantin from Charles Constantin. George Ketterer died in 1969, and his son, Jacques Ketterer, succeeded as the head of Vacheron & Constantin. In 1970, the company officially changed its name to Vacheron Constantin. The company was affected by the quartz crisis during the 1970s and 1980s. When Jacques Ketterer died in 1987, Vacheron Constantin changed hands. Sheik Ahmed Zaki Yamani, the former Oil Minister of Saudi Arabia and eager watch collector, became the company’s majority shareholder. Since 1996, it has been a subsidiary of the Swiss Richemont Group. In 2004, Vacheron Constantin opened its new headquarters and manufacturing in Plan-les-Ouates, Geneva.