Qte Mole Pocket Watch

Recently I came across a broken watch with the following markings on its enamel dial: “Qté Molé”. As we managed to find out, this is not a manufacturer, but rather a kind of watch. Such products were assembled by an artel, so a cheap mechanism could be in an expensive case or vice versa.

Some Swiss Watch manufacturers have produced the watches especially for the Russian Empire. Since the time of A. L. Brege the Russian market was considered perspective. And by 1870th years, supplies of the watches increased so much that the Swiss began to produce the special parties signed in Russian.

This is a rare and interesting mechanical watch under the brand “Qte Mole (quality Mole), on behalf of the famous 19th century English Trading House John Salter. Such watches practically are not met abroad, since the supplies were completely on to the Russian market (though the producer – the Swiss firm V.HENRI-LEUBA). Today the watches in a good condition are increasingly rare.

The astonishing timepiece features a white original porcelain enamel dial. This is very rare antiquarian watch that is more than 100 years old.

The original face features a sixty minute checkered outer track border, large Arabic numerals, a second’s dial at the six o’clock position. The dial is signed “Q te Mole”.

Q-te Mole – “Mole quality” as an indication of the type of watch of a particular manufacturer. “V.H. Leuba” and the VHL oblique shield signify that the brand belongs to the veuve Henri LEUBA, La Chaux-de-Fonds, Switzerland. Her most famous TM is MITAD. This TM and VHL on an oblique tape across the shield were registered in 1910. The “Qualite Mole” trademark proper was registered as a widow for the Russian market in 1897 and, unlike the solid budget middling MITAD, can be rated as “above average”.

The VHL mark is most often found on simple design and mechanics.

Around 1895 a group of Swiss manufacturers agreed on a system for classifying cases for watches that were exported to Russia. The labeling system “Qte” (Qualité, which means “quality”) and the name of a well-known watchmaker should convey that the production quality of a particular case (not the movement!) corresponds to that of the watchmaker mentioned. Each name stands for a specific design or look of the case, pendant and dial. So there are different watches from different manufacturers with the same lettering. The “Qte” standard was used from the turn of the century until the First World War.

Dial label Model name	Manufacturer	Year of registration of the model name
Qte. Blondel	H. Moser	1896
Qte. Boutte	VVE Henri Leuba Invicta H. Moser M. Dreyfus Dreyfus Freres	1897 1895 1896 1900 1901
Qte. Bridel	H. Moser	1896
Qte. Jaccottet	J. Lippetz	1896
Qte. Lepine	H. Moser	1896
Qte. Maret	H. Moser	1896
Qte. Melly	H. Moser	1896
Qte. Mole	VVE Henri Leuba H. Moser Dreyfus Freres	1897 1896 1902
Qte. Monard	Invicta H. Moser	1895 1896
Qte. Reputee	Dreyfus Freres	1900
Qte. Robert	H. Moser	1896
Qte. Salter (The name Salter comes from the English watch company John Salter London, which was popular in the mid- 19th century)	Dreyfus Freres VVE Henri Leuba H. Moser M. Dreyfus	1901 1897 1896 1900
Qte. Tobias	VVE Henri Leuba Invicta H. Moser Dreyfus Freres	1897 1895 1896 1901
Qte. Vernez	H. Moser	1896

The name of the Salter brand takes the bases in a name of the known English watchmaker John Salter, the name was very popular, and often met on the watches which were issued for the market of the Russian Empire. There is also the French transcription “Qualite Salter” (quality as at Salter). The main producer is Swiss Company V. HENRI-LEUBA.

Several firms used the mark “Salter”:

• One of the brands of watches factory Henry Moser was called Qte Salter.
• Jacot Freres from Locle took such brand for his some watches.
• Dreyfus Freres & Cie. / Pery Watch Co.; the company was registered in january, 1901 and was producing watch movement & cases;

For the one shown here, the movement was housed in a gold case with a lid.

This design involves wearing the watch on the wrist with a strap. It is not known whether this watch was originally a wrist watch, or whether it is a pocket watch rearranged in a different case.