Featured What can you tell me about my watch?

LOVE, LOVE, LOVE your watch!!!!!

 

Komo, thanks for the examples... totally got it now.

King, are you volunteering?

Aquitaine, thanks!

 

Af, looks like you were right on. It *is* marked Cuivre inside, which I understand is French for copper. I found another example of this watch online, plus a couple of others that were very similar, and all were attributed to the late 1800s.

Oh, and I found out the mark is a squirrel. What the squirrel stands for seems to be interpreted differently by different people. Does anyone have any knowledge about it?

Below are photos of the inner cover and the works. It's hard to make out, but the "CUIVRE" is right above the numbers.

 

Would having the watch cleaned and repaired to working order affect the price on eBay much?

 

Not enough to cover a fraction of the cost. They are simply not worth much. Yours is the most basic movement for this type. Nicely made but unrefined.

The squirrel is a Swiss fineness mark, I think. There is almost always a numerical grade as well.

 

It is marked 14k inside the cover. By "fineness" do you mean the amount of gold?

 

Yes. Fine gold is 100%, lower carats are lower percentages fine. The term is also misused, since watches marked 'fine silver' are never pure silver cases.

The value of the watch is really the metal value. The case is quite thin so I'd not expect more than 10 grams of gold.

I have three of these in 18 carat lying about somewhere and if the gold price went up a lot or I really needed the money I would just scrap them.

 

Fineness is basically the level of purity of metal. But as AF says, the real definition of 'fine' = 'pure' (as in, complete and unadulterated), and almost no gold or silver on the open market would be completely 'fine', it would be impossible to work because of the softness.

 

Easy to work, but not all that durable.

 

Sorry ,but the comment that 24K gold and pure silver jewelry is very wrong.It is very common in Asia and the Middle East along with high end stores in the USA.PMC(precious metal clay)jewelry can also be marked 24k or 999.

 

I have seen it sold as gold bar/ingot jewelry, if that's what you mean (I have one myself which is 24kt gold), but nothing else.

 

Well I had never heard of PMC but who knew?

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Metal_clay

Most of the far and middle eastern jewelery I have had was 22 carat gold, not 24. I'm not saying 24ct does not exist, but even in those regions the practicality of some slight alloying is recognised.

In earlier pieces some alloying was the inevitable result of less than perfect refining. No coins have ever beeb struck in pure gold apart from stuff intended just for looking at, and even the classic Kruger Rand, i ounce of fine gold is 22 carat and so a tad heavier than 1 ounce.

I would be astonished if a mainstream US store carried pure gold jewellery.

 

I agree. I have a 22kt gold ring which is from somewhere in Asia, but that's all I know. And a gold bar which was a present from my dad. But that's it. I'd also be very surprised if pure gold jewelry was available anywhere except as curiosities.

 

our leaf is the purest they come....

 

Well, hopefully someone would buy my watch because of it's visual appeal. I hate the thought of someone scrapping it... me or anyone else.

I did sell a "scrap lot" of gold on eBay back when the price of gold was pretty high. But the pieces in the lot were damaged or otherwise not very desirable.

Af, is there anything else I should say in a listing about the works?

 

You can Google "Gurhan Saks Fifth Avenue" ,just one example.There are hundreds of locations worldwide selling 24K gold jewelry and watches.

 

24kt plate, perhaps. I've never heard of 24kt gold for watches and jewelry.

 

Looks about as much like QEII as I do. Artist who rendered her that way must have had a grudge.

 

I know the "silver" jewelry findings coming from China have no silver in them and could picture Asian dealers billing gold jewelry as being 24k when it's actually not.

 

I've heard that assertion as well, Pat - that 'silver' coming from China doesn't have any silver in it.