Antique Sirius 18K Gold Pocket Watch with Minute Repeater. Switzerland, circa 1915

Antique Sirius 18K Gold Pocket Watch with Minute Repeater. Switzerland, c. 1915

This antique Sirius pocket watch in 18K gold, made in Switzerland circa 1915, is a piece of fine watchmaking that brings together elegance, complication and a very attractive presence in the hand. It is a savonette model with triple solid gold cover, all of them marked with 18K hallmarks and Swiss assay marks that confirm its origin and quality. When opening the front cover a beautiful white enamel dial appears, very well preserved, without visible cracks and with a clean enamel that highlights the black Arabic numerals and the independent seconds at six. The classic style hands, thin and elongated, complete a clear and balanced reading of the time, while the inscription Sirius recalls the commercial brand under which the watch was distributed for export markets.

The dust cover, also in gold, is decorated with engraved medals and with a charming inscription for lovers of traditional watchmaking “Répétition à Minutes, Qualité Supérieure” next to the name Sirius. Behind it is hidden the heart of the piece, a Swiss movement of excellent craftsmanship that preserves a very solid functioning. Mechanically it works very well and the minute repeater acts correctly with a clear and pleasant chime that marks hours, quarters and minutes with precision. The calibre appears clean with well adjusted bridges and a fine regulator that demonstrates the good work of the watchmakers who gave life to this watch more than a century ago.

The three gold covers show the same serial numbers, proof that the set has been preserved complete since its origin. On the outer covers small visible dents can be seen, especially on the back, typical of the life of a used and cherished pocket watch, but they do not affect at all the solidity of the case or its perfect functioning. Even with these marks of use the watch maintains an authentic and sincere charm, that patina of history that many collectors seek because it makes the piece feel more human and close.

This Sirius minute repeater is a magnificent piece for any pocket watch collection, where it will stand out for the nobility of its gold case and for the refinement of its striking mechanism, one of the most appreciated by enthusiasts of traditional watchmaking. It is a piece capable of connecting its new owner with the technical mastery of Swiss watchmaking at the beginning of the twentieth century. It represents an exceptional opportunity to acquire an authentic gold repeater, a perfect companion for a demanding collector or for someone who desires an object full of history, a watch that speaks, beats and continues to mark time with unmistakable character.

Measurements 50 mm. Weight 82.7 g.

History of the Swiss Minute Repeater Watch

Repeater watches emerged in Europe in the eighteenth century as a response to a very practical need. Before electric lighting the user had to be able to know the time in the dark inside a room or in the middle of the night and the solution was to equip the watch with a mechanism capable of translating the time into a sequence of chimes. The most refined version of this complication is the minute repeater which strikes the hours, the quarters and the minutes elapsed since the last quarter with two gongs of different tone. To achieve this the movement incorporates an ingenious system of rack, striking work and hammers adjusted by hand by specialized watchmakers who dedicated many hours to achieving a perfect cadence and a pleasant sound.

Switzerland became the great center of production of these watches especially in the watchmaking valleys where small workshops dedicated to complications worked. At the end of the nineteenth century and the beginning of the twentieth century repeaters were offered in cases of precious metals often of 18K gold and were exported worldwide through commercial houses that used brands such as Sirius to adapt to each market. With the popularization of wristwatches and serial production these pieces became reserved for a more reduced public interested in traditional and classic fine watchmaking. Today a minute repeater in good working condition is not only a collectible object it is also a small musical instrument that keeps inside the memory of the artisans who gave it life and that deserves to find a new home where it can continue to be appreciated.