Antique Timepiece Pendant Necklace No.29 - c.1840 Swiss Verge Fusee Movement - FREE SHIPPING (US)
Antique Timepiece (Steampunk) Necklace Pendant No.29
c.1840 Verge Fusee Watch Movement by Louis Archinard Bovy of Geneva, Switzerland + c.1880 Gold Plated over 0.800 Silver Etched Dial…
INCLUDES 4MM ROPE CHAIN: Choose from
18" Polished Stainless Steel or
18" or 20" Gold Plated Stainless Steel
IMPORTANT: Please LEAVE NOTE at Check-Out with your choice of chain :-)
Weight: 1.3 ounce (37 grams), Diameter/Width: 1.75” (44mm), Height w/Bail: 1.94”(49mm), Thickness: .44” (11mm)
A Stunningly beautiful example of old world craftsmanship that's been repurposed into an heirloom piece of jewelry. The centerpiece of this necklace pendant is the complete upper plate of a circa 1840 Swiss Verge Fusee pocket watch movement - with its ornate hand carved/pierced Baroque/Rococo filigree design. The plate is disassembled and each component is painstakingly polished, metallic foil added underneath the filigree parts, re-assembled, crystals added, then coated in a thick layer of epoxy resin. The movement plate is mounted onto a c.1880 gold plated over coin silver pocket watch dial with finely etched details and added antique watch gears and Meridian Blue Swarovski crystal rhinestones - covered in a thick layer of epoxy resin - for a no-snag/smooth and long life finish
The movement is mounted to a 1/16" acrylic disc, which has a cut-out for the gold plated bail, and that is laminated to a vintage brass clock gear. A pour of blue and pearl mica tinted epoxy completely encapsulates the bail and gear, making it a permanent part of the pendant. The sides of the finished pendant are polished to a smooth finish and the larger diameter bail will fit most chains without the need for additional mounting rings.
History of FUSEE WATCH MOVEMENTS: a fusee (from the French fusée, wire wound around a spindle) is a cone-shaped pulley with a helical groove around it, wound with a cord or chain which is attached to the mainspring barrel. Fusees were made throughout Europe and The US and used in portable pocket watches from the early 1600’s - early 1900’s to improve timekeeping by equalizing the uneven pull of the mainspring as it ran down. Fusee movements were eventually fazed out and by the mid 19th century; Swiss and American watchmaking industries exclusively employed the going barrel with the cylinder escapement - significantly improving timekeeping precision. England continued to make the bulkier full plate fusee watches until about 1900.
A wide variety movements were made - from hand made Verge Fusee with ornately hand carved and pierced/filigree components of the 17th through 19th century - to less decorated and more utilitarian brass and nickel plated alloy movements of the 20th century when mechanized techniques were employed.
- FREE SHIPPING - US ONLY: Applies to All US States and Select US Territories and ships via USPS 1st Class Mail (INCLUDES TRACKING AND INSURANCE). Upgraded/expedited shipping options available at check-out for an additional charge. - In-stock orders typically ship in 1 business day.
- INTERNATIONAL SHIPPING AVAILABLE: I ship to 38 countries and rates are available at check-out
- Hand crafted in Tucson, AZ, by John Galen Gudenkauf (owner/artist) with US and Global Materials.