Bertaut Keyless
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Case Back, Case Hallmark, Cuvette, Cuvette Punch Mark, Dial Uncovered, Alternate Movement View, Second Alternate Movement View, Third Alternate Movement View, Alternate View of the Setting. Bertaut Horologer, Brevette du Roi At first glance this watch is another nice French quarter repeater. However a closer look reveals the knurled knob on the top of the pendant. The watch in fact has a stem winding mechanism that appears to be Prest's patent. On further examination one can see the small toothed wheel between 8:00 and 9:00 that provides a means for setting the hands similar to Burdess' patent. The watch needs more research, but it appears to have been made around 1834 and would be a very early example of a fully keyless watch. The setting mechanism would anticipate Burdess' 1869 patent by about 35 years. The watches that Thomas Prest produced for John Roger Arnold starting in 1820 required that the hands be moved with the fingers to set the time. From the slight damage to the dial finish, it would appear that some users did not notice the hand setting mechanism and set the hands on this watch with their fingers. There are a number of views of the movement because of the difficulty in exposing the polished steel parts. |
