Swiss Sub-miniature Carriage Clocks, ca. 1920
Watch
GUEST:
I brought in my collection of 13 miniature clocks. My mother and my father were clock collectors. My dad would buy hanging clocks, and my mom would buy little clocks. And the first one she ever found was this one. And over the years, it grew to 13, and they all were lined up on our mantel.
APPRAISER:
Do you have a favorite?
GUEST:
I think this one's really special with the little spot. My favorite color is green, so I love the green one. My mother's favorite was this one and the blue one, because blue was her favorite color.
APPRAISER:
Okay.
GUEST:
But this one has the stones in it. And this she always said was the most valuable. I don't know.
APPRAISER:
Well, these are all what are called subminiature carriage clocks. These clocks were all of Swiss manufacture. They were made between 1900 and roughly 1925. And they were sold as sort of little tchotchkes when you traveled over in Europe. You'd buy them in finer jewelry stores or in clock shops. It's a nice representation of what types of things were available, the styles of cases that were available in this type of grouping, if you will. They are very, very colorful.
GUEST:
Yes.
APPRAISER:
You have this wonderful little turquoise, and the pink, and this one sort of an alabaster, almost a pearl color. Swiss movements, designed to run eight days. They're almost like miniature watches in clock cases.
GUEST:
In clocks-- eight days, I never knew that part. They all had little leather cases and they were pretty torn up. I have the cases, don't know where they are, but I didn't discard them.
APPRAISER:
Yeah. Protective cases usually for travel.
GUEST:
Yes.
APPRAISER:
And they wouldn't be as colorful in them, so most people did put them in a different location.
GUEST:
Right.
APPRAISER:
It's unusual to see so many. As a grouping, we have a nice variation of values. The first two, this little pendulette here.
GUEST:
Yes.
APPRAISER:
The first two are the more basic models. And these would have a retail value of somewhere in the $400 price range.
GUEST:
Okay.
APPRAISER:
The next grouping, probably closer to $600 to $800 each.
GUEST:
Okay.
APPRAISER:
So there's four represented there. And then these next really nice enamel clocks. If you look very closely at this one, it has a guilloche engine-turned design.
GUEST:
Ah, yeah.
APPRAISER:
Which is a turned enamel, and they put a cover over it to make it jump out a little bit more.
GUEST:
And it does jump out.
APPRAISER:
And these would be in the probably $1,000 price range each.
GUEST:
Okay.
APPRAISER:
The last enamel one is a little bit more interesting in its case design, and as a result, I think today, you probably could get a little bit more money for it. Probably has a retail value of closer to $1,200 to $1,400. And the last one, you mentioned the sapphires.
GUEST:
Yes, are they sapphires?
APPRAISER:
They are sapphires. They're calibré sapphires, which means they're actually cut specifically to fit in the round.
GUEST:
Fit in the round, okay.
APPRAISER:
Yeah. So very nice decorative detail on that. That one there probably has a value of closer to $1,500 to $1,800.
GUEST:
Wow.
APPRAISER:
So with 13 clocks, you're looking at somewhere between $10,000 and $12,000.
GUEST:
Wow. I had no idea what... these were worth. None!
Appraisal Details
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