Niello Swiss Pocket Watch with Sterling Silver Case

• Niello - A compound made up of lead silver copper and sulphur that is black in colour, and applied to the engraved areas of silver items, thus highlighting the engraving by making the black niello detail stand out from the silver background. It was used on edged weapons from the Renaisance onwards, and also by Russian crafstmen of the19th century.
• Circa - A Latin term meaning 'about', often used in the antique trade to give an approximate date for the piece, usually considered to be five years on either side of the circa year. Thus, circa 1900 means the piece was made about 1900, probably between 1895 and 1905. The expression is sometimes abbreviated to c.1900.
• Crown Wind - A winding method for a watch, using a knurled or fluted knob, located at 3 o'clock on a wristwatch and 12 o'clock on a pocketwatch.
• Sterling Silver - Sterling silver is a mixture of 92.5% pure silver and 7.5% of another metal, usually copper. Fine silver is 99.9% pure silver, and is relatively soft and the addition of the very small amount of copper gives the metal enough strength and hardness to be worked into jewellery, decorative and household objects.
• Movement - The technical name for the workings of a clock or watch, and does not include the dial or case.

This item has been included into following indexes:

• pocket watches, case type
  • open face, silver case 514
  • silver case 816
• pocket watches, country - Swiss made 416