Super rare, presumably hand-engraved, Rhetia K&K Royal Imperial Austrian Service Watch Railwayman's Watch 800 Silver with presumably original silver chain
This magnificent piece of watchmaking and K&K history is finely engraved on the back with the coat of arms of the Austrian imperial house, the eagle with a cross and imperial crown above it, with oak leaves, as well as various symbols:
- the symbol for railway / tracks
- a post horn
- a locomotive
It was definitely an imperial Austrian service watch from the 19th century, as evidenced by the imperial coat of arms. We suspect it was a railway worker's watch, as there are 2 railway motifs present and the post horn / post office in 19th century Austria was associated with the imperial house and thus with the railway.
Due to the very fine lines in the eagle, we assume that the case back was designed and hand-engraved by a master of his craft in hours of work. Such fine lines cannot be cast or embossed.
The visible wear on the bezel and case back does not represent a defect of this museum artifact, but is the proof desired by collectors that t h i s exact watch was on the move and "in service" for decades in the valleys of Austria.
Description:
Case diameter: 50mm, white, unrestored, excellently preserved dial with early and artfully crafted Arabic numerals. On the bezel of the front side, there were further engravings / decorations, which are now almost indistinguishable.
Pressed back on hinge, stamped 0.800 silver, with inner movement dust cover, back has the aforementioned noble hand engravings on the outside. Attached is a presumably original silver chain with barely visible hallmarks as shown in the photos.
Gilt precision manual winding movement, signed Rhetia, a Swiss watch manufacturer that also supplied the well-known Glashütte brand "Nomos".
The museum artifact starts and runs (accuracy not tested).
Condition: 2 - good collector's condition, few recognizable signs of age or use apart from the significant wear, covers close tightly, starts and runs.
