Pocket Watch: Antique Silver Niello Hunter Pocket Watch - Grosjean Frères

The watch has a stem-winding movement which is working nicely. The movement carries the mark for Grosjean Frères, manufacturers and Longines representatives, based in La-Chaux-de-Fonds. The movement is protected by an inner hinged cover which has light surface scratching, nothing too serious at all. The watch measures 47mm diameter excluding the winding crown and the loop so slightly smaller than a standard pocket watch. The case is niello ware which is where a black mixture, usually sulphur, copper, silver, and lead, is used as an inlay on engraved or etched metal, especially silver, in this case 800 silver. It is added as a powder or paste, then fired until it melts or at least softens and flows or is pushed into the engraved lines in the metal. There is some rubbing to the case, mainly to the back. The winding crown pushes in to open the front cover. Inside, there is an acrylic lens which is in good condition. The dial looks good to the naked eye. If viewed closely, there is a crack just beneath number 5 but it is quite difficult to see with the naked eye. The watch comes in a new presentation box. All prices include UK postage (excluding Northern Ireland). Please contact us before placing international orders so that we can advise of shipping prices and to see if customs regulations allow us to post watches to your country. The international buyer is responsible for paying any import duties and taxes. All of our watches are checked over before listing and are also checked for accuracy which is usually within around +/- two to three minutes over 24 hours (unless otherwise stated), which is considered respectable for a vintage watch. We are a Vat registered company and all purchases are covered by Consumer Regulations. Credit / debit card purchases can be made over the telephone on 01386 750238 or you can proceed via the red 'Buy Now' button on each listing page. We are an on-line only business and do not have facilities for callers. Our offices are open from Monday to Friday 9am to 5pm. With regards to appraisals / valuations, we receive a huge number of information requests each day and unfortunately do not have the manpower to deal with them all individually. Our advice would be to contact a local auctioneer for a full appraisal.