Almost all watches of the late 18th century were made without cases. Double and triple cases remained popular only in England. But even there watches with several lids began to appear in the late 1820s, e.g. works by the English firm “Dol-ter”.
At the beginning of the 20th century Swiss watchmakers went over to semi-automatic production. [...]
By the second half of the 18th century the watch mechanism got more sophisticated, and it became thinner and more flat. Abraham Louis Breguet, a well-known master and friend of Marat — leader of the French Revolution, worked a lot at the modernisation of timepieces. Among the watches by Breguet kept in the Museum collection [...]
In the last third of the 18th century a theatre-watch was a very fashionable trinket. They were mostly produced by French and Swiss masters. The museum collection possesses a watch like that. Dancing couples are shown in an architectural interior with mirrors in the background. When music began playing inside the mechanism the pairs began [...]
The Rococo style is replaced by Classicism in the 1760s, it is characterised by serene and austere forms and symmetrical design. Flower garlands, classical vases and pearl framing are elements of new ornamentation that can be traced in the decor of the watch made by Danish master Sicers.
In the 1730s, the Rococo style dominated all kinds of art: applied art in particular. The rich fantasy of the jewellers working in this intricate style was first and foremost demonstrated in the variety of materials they used. Watches were made of gold, silver, mother-of-pearl and semi-precious stones. Their surface was stamped with fanciful patterns, [...]