Antique Victorian Brandt & Hoffman 37mm 935 Sterling Silver Swiss Pocket Watch

  

About This Brandt & Hoffman Solid Sterling Silver Pocket Watch. The inside of the outer case is hallmarked with the three bears one to the left and one to the right with one smaller bear above, the makers mark of B&H designating Brandt & Hoffman is also clearly visible. There is also part of I believe a Y stamp over the B&H stamp. The serial number of the watch is also stamped as 5647 with the 0.935 Silver mark being present. There are a number of service inscriptions on the inner case with the earliest legible service date being 11/2/13.

The inside of the silver dust cover again has the the three bear hallmarks in roughly the same layout accompanying the serial number, makers mark and probable Y stamp. The movement is stamped THE PLAN WATCH with the words SWISS MADE below there is also the Fleur-de-lis symbol with the letters D P F inside each flower head. The firm were founded in1854 with the trade mark being registered in 1880.

The business was set up with the intention to prove that the Swiss could manufacture reasonably priced good quality watch movements and case backs that could rival similar American made movements. In 1883 the firm employed 300 workmen producing approximately 50,000 units a year. Evidently this is a workman like movement built to last and for reliability rather than to showcase however these pocket watches with the combination of the Brandt & Hoffman case and DPF movement are becoming increasingly difficult to find. The dial which is in generally good condition is now a creamy mellow yellow. I have no doubt that there is a certain amount of patina present on the dial which is contributing to the attractive creamy yellow colour, both the hour and minute hands are age tarnished as you would expect, but are held firmly in place and adjust via key turn exactly as you would expect.

The gold Roman numerals are still clear and easy to read and the central six sided start design is as pretty as it ever was. We have replaced the crystal but have not carried out any refurbishment to the case, dial or hands. The push button back releases the case back smoothly and efficiently every time, the second dust cover case back pops open with the minimum of fuss to reveal the DPF movement and snaps back nice and securely.

The watch has been tested at running at +3-5 minutes every day, we have no doubt that this could be improved upon but to enhance this level of timekeeping on this type of antique timepiece you would almost certainly have to replace parts that are anything up to 130 years old which would most likely mean having specific parts made by a Master Watchmaker. As you can imagine this kind of service is very expensive. The timekeeping cannot be improved by simply servicing the watch or through slight adjustments as these procedures have already been carried out by our watchmaker. The item "Antique Victorian Brandt & Hoffman 37mm 935 Sterling Silver Swiss Pocket Watch" is in sale since Tuesday, July 20, 2021.

This item is in the category "Jewellery & Watches\Watches, Parts & Accessories\Watches\Pocket Watches". The seller is "watchesandwonders" and is located in London . This item can be shipped worldwide.

• Water Resistance: Not Water Resistant
• Handmade: No
• With Manual/Booklet: No
• Model: Plan Watch
• Country/Region of Manufacture: Switzerland
• Department: Men
• Style: Victorian
• Caseback: Snap
• Case Material: Sterling Silver
• Strap Type: Not Applicable
• Escapement Type: Lever
• Pocket Watch Size: 6s
• Dial Style: Roman Numerals
• Unit Quantity: 1
• Movement: Mechanical (Manual)
• Type: Pocket Watch
• With Service Records: No
• Dial Colour: Cream
• With Papers: No
• Case Finish: Matte
• Vintage: Yes
• Year Manufactured: 1890-1899
• With Original Box/Packaging: No
• MPN: Not Applicable
• Unit Type: Unit
• Personalise: No
• Closure: Open Face
• Display: Analogue
• Brand: Brandt & Hoffman
• Antique: Yes
• Customised: No
• Case Colour: Silver