London 1899 – Victorian Solid Silver Travelling Clock, JTC Movement

Rectangular travelling clock in engine-turned solid silver, raised on four small flattened bun feet. The case displays, on all five visible sides, mechanically executed guilloché decoration with raised lozenge motifs arranged within reserved panels and framed by dotted borders.

The principal face is fitted with a silver bezel beneath a protective glass, revealing a dial with engine-turned centre, blue lacquered Arabic numerals and blued steel hands. The top is surmounted by a hinged silver handle formed as a symmetrical scroll.

The interior is entirely gilt. It reveals the original lever escapement movement together with its silvered metal winding key, preserved within the door.

Eight-day duration. The movement is currently running and keeping time at the moment of inspection.


Hallmarks and Marks

The case bears British sterling silver hallmarks: lion passant, leopard’s head for London, and date letter d corresponding to 1899.

An F mark within an oval appears alongside the London hallmarks and is interpreted as an import mark, consistent with the presence of a Swiss movement. Certain components additionally bear the mark 0.935, a continental silver standard expressed in thousandths. The ensemble indicates horological production incorporating continental components, admitted to assay in London.

The mark JS within a rectangular punch corresponds to the registered British sponsor’s mark and is tentatively attributed to JOHN GEORGE SMITH.
The movement is signed JTC, numbered 2688, and engraved SWISS MADE.


Dimensions:
• Height: 9.2 cm
• Width: 4.6 cm
• Depth: 3.5 cm

Gross weight: 294 g


Condition Report:
Very fine state of preservation. The guilloché remains crisp and well defined. The case shows light wear and very minor surface marks consistent with its intended function as a travelling clock. The dial presents slight, localised oxidation.

The movement is running; however, routine horological servicing is recommended for a piece of this period.


The movement is signed JTC for JACQUES TURRETTINI & CIE, a Geneva watchmaking firm founded in 1856. The manufacture specialises in the production of precision movements intended for both watches and small luxury travelling clocks and portable timepieces.

Active during the second half of the nineteenth century and the early twentieth century, the firm supplies high-quality mechanisms to numerous workshops and silversmithing houses working for the international market. The mention SWISS MADE and the individual numbering of the movement attest to organised manufacture and rigorous quality control, characteristic of Geneva horology of the period.