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some help with my antique swiss 'Hunter'

4K views 33 replies 5 participants last post by  NAWCC 
#1 ·
Afternoon, gents;
I am currently doing a little research into some of my grandfathers' war memorabilia, and amongst those things were his pocket watch. I have been told the story of this watch by my grandmother, but I have no idea how to verify this information!

The watch has NO makers mark or identification, simply 'BREGUET + 31328' (the 'plus' being the swiss symbol) on the movement, and the dial, too, has no mark.

I wondered if anyone knew whom might have been the maker of this watch, or any insight at all into a similar one someone might be aware of?

Any information or help would be most appreciated,

Many thanks
 

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#3 ·
Hi and welcome.
Where does it say Breguet?
Are you sure NOT 'Brevet' which means patent.

Watch does not look a Breguet, but please show where you see that PLUS the dial.
Chance of this being a 'Breguet' is low, Breguet only spoke French so no 'A' and 'R' = English for advanced and retard

Thanks
A
 
#10 ·
Thank you all for replies.
My apologies, I was incorrect, it does say Brevet. I mistyped since on another website I had been researching, Breguet came up a few times!! the word must have been stuck in my mind.

The photos here show the mark, which appears to be a crown with the letters CS or GS inside. There is also the number 650 below that.

On the back case, there is a hallmark for 9ct, and two symbols; a 'P' inside a circle and a square with circle inside it.

Finally, there is the number 33630 stamped on the back case also.
 

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#13 ·
Are they not clear enough?
I need a bit more close up shots to make out the hallmarks. Small differences in the shape can mean decades difference in the year of manufacture. If you can get a nice clear shot, then crop / magnify enough to make them out that would be great. Also, you can email me the shots so they aren't shrunk down to forum friendly size - just click on my screen name and select the "Send Email" option from the pop up box.
 
#19 ·
hmm thank you, although it goes some way to confirming part of the story of this watch!

I don't/didn't want to divulge too much in case it influences opinion, but the owner of the watch was presented it as a gift during WW1 from guards AND prisoners at a POW camp. He was a doctor, and surgeon, and performed some duty to help a lot of folks from the camp. One of the prisoners worked for a certain watch company and acquired the mechanism for the purpose of the gift, with it being installed in its case after the war.

I have been sorting and cataloguing all my bequethed militaria, and this watch is amongst many items. I am slowly but surely attempting to find out a little more about each of these items, and my grandfather.

I was hoping to find out a little more about the watch since it is clearly a lovely mechanism, and I love the simplicity of the face, and the blue tinged hands! (please excuse my lack of technical parlance)

And your willingness to help, sir, is very much appreciated, thank you
 
#21 ·
so please excuse my ignorance, but how do I tell whether it is a minute or quarter repeater? When I slide the 'slide' down, the gongs chime a tune, different each time I have tried.

I haven't yet depressed this slide regularly enough to work out the pattern of chimes!
 
#25 · (Edited)
I don't want to step on NAWCC's answer, but this should hold you until he answers again.
A different 'tune' each time is good- that means it's working properly! :laugh: In reality, you're not listening to a "tune". Rather, you're going to be listening to different sets of gongs (or chimes), and mentally keeping track of the number of chimes in each set. It takes very little practice, and you should catch on quickly!
Here's the Wikipedia definition of repeaters:

Quarter repeater
The quarter repeater strikes the number of hours, and then the number of quarter hours since the last hour. The mechanism uses 2 chimes of different tones. The low tone usually signals the hours, and the high tone the quarter hours. As an example, if the time is 2:45, the quarter repeater sounds 2 low tones and after a short pause 3 high ones: "dong, dong, ding, ding, ding". Alternatively, some use a pair of tones to distinguish the quarter hours: "dong, dong, ding-dong, ding-dong, ding-dong"
Minute repeater
The minute repeater works like the quarter repeater, with the addition that, after the hours and quarter hours are sounded, the number of minutes since the last quarter hour are sounded. This requires three different sounds to distinguish hours, quarters, and minutes. Often the hours are signaled by a low tone, the quarters are signaled by a sequence of two tones ("ding-dong"), and the minutes by a high tone. For example, if the time is 2:49 then the minute repeater will sound 2 low tones representing 2 hours, 3 sequence tones representing 45 minutes, and 4 high tones representing 4 minutes: "dong, dong, ding-dong, ding-dong, ding-dong, ding, ding, ding, ding".
I also recommend you go to YouTube and type 'minute repeater' and 'quarter repeater' to see different brands of repeaters in action.
 
#26 ·
Interesting
Is it actually playing a tune or making ding/dong sounds
If it plays a tune for example like Wesminster Chimes. It is truly a rare beast.

Now two things
NEVER NEVER change the hands as its repeating
NEVER turn hands backwards
Try to always push slider fully down.
Regards
 
#27 ·
I'm not thinking it's a Westminster. Ian mentioned the gongs play a different tune each time, which is what a regular repeater would do in telling the time.
 
#28 ·
Yes, thank you, I researched that and it is a quarter repeater, although possibly half-quarter. It seems to work as it should, too.

This watch hasn't seen the light of day for around 25 years now (the length of time Ive had it with my other memorabilia) yet it still ticks away when I wind it. The only problem is that the Tourbillon(?) wants to stop if I tilt the watch in certain positions. Is this simply the result of not having been serviced?
 
#30 ·
Ian, could you possibly mean that it's the balance wheel that is stopping? Basically, a tourbillon is a little cage, almost always obviously visible, holding the balance. It keeps revolving in circles so as to negate gravity's effect on the movement. Your p/w exhibits no such cage.

A balance wheel will stop for any number of problems. And lying dormant for twenty-five years certainly explains a lot. I'd say it's definitely worth letting a watch repairman look it over.
 
#31 ·
Yes, I meant balance wheel-i thought the name for that was tourbillon. As might be readily apparent, I am not an expert!

I simply wondered if anyone knew the maker of this watch or mechanism, but disappointingly it seems no-one can answer that! My struggle continues!....
 
#32 ·
Sorry, knowing movements is just something that I have not mastered yet.
Suggest you go to Roland Ranft site and look, then if no joy, send him DECENT HIGH RESOLUTION pictures, with that he can tell you
Or send me DECENT HIGH RESOLUTION (2mb) pics that are very clear
To
adam007@gmail.com
But we need decent pictures of movement. That means very clear
 
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