£3,950.00
This 9K gold manual-wind single-pusher chronograph wristwatch, dating to circa 1920, exemplifies a pivotal moment in early wristwatch development. Encased in solid yellow gold with fixed wire lugs, the design reflects the shift from pocket to purpose-built wrist chronographs in the years following the First World War. The single pusher, or “mono-poussoir,” chronograph was a technical innovation of the time, allowing the start, stop, and reset functions to be operated through a single button integrated into the crown—streamlining use and enhancing reliability for timing tasks in professional or sporting contexts.
The white enamel dial is typical of high-grade timepieces from the period, featuring bold Arabic numerals, a subsidiary seconds register, and elegant blued-steel hands. Enamel dials offered excellent legibility and durability but required great skill to manufacture, with each dial fired at high temperatures to fuse powdered glass to a metal base. The use of such a dial suggests the watch was positioned at the upper end of the market, offering both functional precision and refined aesthetics. Many examples from this era were produced by Swiss manufacturers and retailed through British and continental outlets, often anonymously or under jewellers’ names.
Chronograph wristwatches from the early 20th century remain comparatively rare, particularly in gold cases and with original enamel dials intact. This watch captures a formative chapter in horological history—when wristwatches evolved from novelty to necessity, and mechanical complications began to migrate from the vest pocket to the wrist. It stands today as both a wearable antique and a document of the early chronograph’s rise, valued by collectors for its purity of design, craftsmanship, and scarcity.
| Case Size | 34mm (excluding crown) |
|---|---|
| Complications | Chronograph |
| Movement | Early mono-pusher chronograph movement by Universal Geneve |
| Reference | Unsigned |
| Delivery | Watch Only |
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5 North Street, Lewes, East Sussex, BN7 2PA
01273 473123
royce@comberoflewes.co.uk
In association with:
Jaegar-LeCoultre & Vacheron & Constantin Mystery Dial
