Rare Swiss silver purse watch with shuttered dial Circa 1940

Silver purse watch
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A fine and rare sterling silver purse watch with concealed dial made by Cyma in La Chaux-de-Fonds, Switzerland, circa 1940. The rectangular case has two panels that can be opened by pressing the spring loaded sides of the case to display the movement and the dial, which can be tilted and held by the panels, making it a desk clock. It is decorated with Clous de Paris engine turning and reeded sides.

The matte silver dial with applied Arabic numerals at 6 and 12 o’clock, dart and dot hour indexes, an outer minute track and silver leaf hands. A rhodium plated movement with Geneva striping decoration, 17 jewels, a straight line lever escapement, monometallic balance, flat balance spring and an index regulator.

The dial and case are signed CYMA, the movement is signed Tavannes.
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Dimensions: 48 x 34 mm
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Signed: CYMA la Captive Swiss made
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Clous de Paris means ‘nails of Paris’ and was once referred to in English as ‘a hobnail pattern’. This decorative technique has been used since the 18th century to enhance the appearance of metal parts, especially in watch dials and rotors. It is a process carried out by hand using a burin or by engine turning, resulting in a series of finely engraved intersecting lines which form a characteristic Clous de Paris pattern or, in some cases, a more complex guilloché motif.