JACQUES-TURRETTINI Geneva 1904 Guilloche Enameled Desk Box-Clock Sterling

A desk box-clock designed by Jacques-Turrettini & Cie.

This is a gorgeous antique enameled desk box-clock created in Geneva Switzerland by the Jacques-Turrettini & Cie, back in 1900. The rare precious desk-clock has been masterfully hand-crafted during the Edwardian period in solid .935/.999 sterling silver with 24 karats gold gilding interiors and embellished outside with engine turned designs. It is fitted on top with a lid, which is holding a round clock with a five-barrels hinge. The black and white number ring sets off the stunning guilloche blue enameled face beautifully. The Breguet style hands are made in platinum and are mounted with eighteen European rose-cuts white colorless VS diamonds. The bottom of the box is marked JTC for the Swiss enamel clock maker. The bottom also has British-London Import marks and a silver date code of 1904. The piece was imported and retailed by George Stockwell of London.

Jacques-Turrettini & Cie.

They were a very high-quality Swiss watchmaking firm established in Geneva in 1856, recognized for precision timepieces and luxury clocks, including Art Deco table clocks in the 1920s–1930s. The JTC company produced specialized items such as sterling silver and guilloché enamel carriage clocks. Known for high-quality, often luxurious, and artistic clocks, particularly active around the 1920s-1930s. Examples from the 1920s often featured Art-Déco aesthetics, sterling silver cases, and intricate guilloché enamel work, sometimes labeled in partnership with high-end retailers like Gübelin. The company was active into the mid-20th century.

Country: European, Geneva Swiss; London, England.

Period: Edwardian, 1900-1904.

Materials: Solid .935/.999 sterling silver, 24Kt gold gilding, white, black and blue hard glass enamel, platinum and European rose-cuts diamonds.

Diamonds: The platinum hands are mounted in dotted bezel settings, with 18 graduated European rose cut diamonds, with a combined total weight of about 1.08 carats, white colorless F/G color, VS clarity.

Dial: Round with engine turned design topped with blue hard glass enamel. Platinum Breguet style hands with European rose cuts diamonds

Case: Solid .935/.999 sterling silver with engine turned, black and white hard glass enamel with Arabic numbers.

Movement: Swiss, mechanical hand-wingding.

Weight: 471.6 Grams, (302.35 Dwt).

Measurements: H. 38.4 mm by Diameter 108 mm, (1.51 x 4.25 Inches).

Hallmarks: Stamped with Swiss and British marks; the Swiss mark of the standing bear, the maker's mark JTC associated to Jacques-Turrettini & Cie, the mark for the assay and warranty of the .935/.999 sterling silver. Stamped with the import mark for the city of London, the importer mark GS associated to George Stockwell Co., the assay warranty mark, the Latin letter i for the importer date of 1904-05, the five-digits case reference numbers and signed in full as follows, "JTC ARGENT .935 10451".

George Stockwell & Co.

Stockwell & Company was founded in the nineteenth century and became a large and company moving good around Britain and, through Messageries Nationales, across the continent. They were used by many Swiss watch manufacturers to transport watches from Switzerland to Britain. In 1907 the British law changed to require that all imported gold and silver watch case be assayed and hallmarked. Many Swiss manufacturers did not have offices in Britain and could not organize this themselves, so Stockwell & Company registered with several assay offices in order to submit items for hallmarking on behalf of their customers. Stockwell & Company did not own the goods, so they were not importers in the strict sense of the word but acted as “Assay Agents” for their customers. Stockwell & Company were not manufacturers and never made watch cases, or assembled, imported or sold watches. Stockwell and Company were carriers who acted as British assay agents for Swiss case makers and goods. Watches are often advertised with the description saying something like this example; The movement is Swiss and the case is silver, the watch was assembled and made by George Stockwell for Stockwell and Co Ltd in 1914. This error is caused by the mistake of calling the sponsor's mark a “maker's mark” leading to the false assumption that it identifies who made an item. Watch cases made in Switzerland were stamped with Stockwell & Company's registered sponsor's mark before transported to Britain and sent to an assay office to be hallmarked and then returned to their makers in Switzerland or other countries.

The Edwardian Period

This era like the Georgian and Victorian eras before it, derives its name from the reign of the English King, Edward VII (1901-1910). Edwardian jewelry is known for representing femininity while incorporating a lot of the color white. Think diamonds, pearls and white metals like platinum and white gold. Diamonds often had an Old Mine or European cut and sapphires were a popular choice for a pop of color. They tended to be made from platinum and diamonds – the more, the merrier – and used fashionable, intricate techniques such as filigree and millegrain. Edwardian rings are works of art and best worn alone or alongside a simple wedding band. Mill graining, a new decorative technique made possible by the use of platinum, is featured often on Edwardian jewelry. Its border of delicate balls and ridges surrounding a gemstone or on the knife sharp edges of a design served to give jewelry a softer, lighter look.

Guilloché 

This technique is used in fine jewelry to enhance the appearance of brooches, rings and pendants. Guilloché enamel refers to metal pieces that have been given the Guilloché treatment and then covered with a translucent layer of enamel, giving the geometric patterns underneath the enamel a colorful hue.

Condition: The overall condition of this Jacques-Turrettini & Cie clock desk-box is impeccable. Beside the little normal wear there is no damage to the silver. The enameled parts are pristine and the settings are excellent. This clock-box was carefully inspected to guarantee the condition & authenticity.

INVENTORY REF: D040226SANM/13.98