vintage or laminé - Vintage - 1900-1949

High-quality gold-filled mechanical pocket watch, also called gold laminated (or Gold Filled).
Art Deco period, manufactured between the 1920s and 1930s.
Gold-filled pocket watch
Art deco decorated case
Manufacturer: Louis Lefebvre
Dial with rail-track style and arabic numerals
Sub-dial at 6 o'clock for railroad-style seconds.
Mechanical movement
Diameter: 50 mm.

Here is the detailed explanation of the markings visible inside the case back:
• Gold Filled / Laminated Gold Plated: This is a manufacturing technique where a thick sheet of genuine gold is mechanically fused by pressure and heat onto a base metal (often brass). This process is far more durable than ordinary electroplating (galvanoplasty).
• Guaranteed 20 years / Guaranteed to wear 20 years: The manufacturer certified at the time that the gold thickness was sufficient to withstand daily wear and friction for at least 20 years before the base metal would start to show.
• The logo (Master Punch): The intertwined LF letters in a shield correspond to the maker’s mark of the case maker (very likely the French manufacturer Louis Lefebvre or a contemporary specialized in gold-filled watch cases).
These inscriptions are typical of pocket watches produced from the late 19th century to the early 20th century.

The Art Deco style: The design of the stylized, slanted Arabic numerals, as well as the peripheral railroad-like minute track, are very characteristic of this era (the 1920s–1930s).

• The Cathedral hands: The blued steel hour and minute hands feature elaborate openwork designs, often described as “cathedral” or “Stuart pear” style, very elegant and popular on pocket watches from this period.
• The seconds dial: Located at 6 o'clock, this independent subsidiary dial allows reading the seconds (graduated to 60) with its own small straight hand.
• The 24-hour display: A discreet red scale on the outer edge (from 13 to 24) helps read afternoon and evening time.

In very good condition, the seconds hand runs perfectly and the timekeeping changes without any problem. Video proof of proper operation available, however I cannot seem to set the time.

Fast and careful shipping with DHL