RARE Golay Fils & Stahl 18K Gold Book Form Pendant Watch, Hand Made 1880s Enamel

  

Celebrating 22 years of sales on E-Bay!! We sell pre-owned watches that do have signs of wear. We provide detailed pictures and try to point out any flaws we think are outside of regular use. Please look at all the pictures, ask any questions you may have prior to making an offer. This item may be removed at anytime.

This is a one terrific find!! I do not have the exact year of manufacture but would guess it should be in the late 1880s or so. Made by an esteemed watch company Golay Fils & Stahl as signed on the movement. The inside of back cover has 3 stamps: 18K 11336 and what appears to be a hallmark with letters OC. The case measuring 30.15 mm long by 25.40 wide (without the closure) and by 9.2 mm thick is totally hand constructed in 18K yellow gold and the watch weighs over 30 grams. As someone who has worked quite a bit in goldsmithing I marvel at the highest quality of work I see here. There are 6 separate hinges at work here.

The front and back are decorated with hard enamel. In addition there are swirly design elements in gold that I believe where soldered to the surface similarly to the technique used in cloisonne` enameling.

The bail and the closure are similarly enameled. The crystal measures 12.8 mm in diameter and is surrounded by 32 rose cut diamonds which are bead set. The diamonds are set in what appears to be silver. The reason being that platinum was not in use yet for jewelry and white gold alloys did not come into use until 1920s. Here is what I found about it on the Internet. The white gold compound consisting of gold, nickel, and zinc, patented in 1920 by the Belais brothers, who began experimenting with formulas for white gold as a substitute for platinum in 1887. The dial is white enameled with black Roman numerals. The 3 sides of this case are decorated with engraved lines to resemble the look of book pages. Once you undo the closure you find 3 picture frames which unfold out for display. The original movement is signed and numbered and the case is numbered too. The movement is running strong although losing a bit of time.

As one can see from the detailed pictures there are a few places where the enameling has chipped off. On viewing without magnification it is not distracting from the beauty of this rare piece. We have conducted some research on the Internet and found a few examples from previous auctions at Sothebys and Antiquorum.

This price was obviously low because of the economic situation at that time and most collectibles saw lower prices. Just a short note to our buyers.

All watches and occasional other items we sell are 100% genuine as per our description and detailed photographs. All watches are in working order unless clearl y stated they are not. We have had some watches serviced and do make a note of it in our auctions. We have set the price after a careful research of the market.

You are welcome to make an offer if you feel our price does not reflect prevailing prices. Please do not waste your time or ours by making offers with no base in reality!! Often the cheapest price you find is not the best price after all... The item "RARE Golay Fils & Stahl 18K Gold Book Form Pendant Watch, Hand Made 1880s Enamel" is in sale since Friday, December 4, 2020.

This item is in the category "Jewelry & Watches\Watches, Parts & Accessories\Watches\Wristwatches". The seller is "afinewatch" and is located in Las Vegas, Nevada.

This item can be shipped to United States.

• Model: Book Form
• Department: Women
• Age: 1880s
• Gender: Women's
• Metal Purity: 18k
• Movement: Mechanical (Hand-winding)
• Type: Wristwatch
• Display: Analog
• Brand: Golay Fils & Stahl
• Country/Region of Manufacture: Switzerland
• Style: Antique
• Band Material: Leather
• Features: Date