Pocket Watch

Throughout the eighteenth century, watches were appreciated as both timekeepers and wearable pieces of jewelry. The highly accurate movement of this watch is set in a gold case decorated with polychrome enamels that depict a bouquet of roses, carnations, and tulips tied with a blue ribbon. Widely cultivated in France at this time, these flowers were often represented on women’s clothing and objects. The hands of the watch are studded with jewels that resemble diamonds. The “fake” diamond, or rhinestone, was invented around 1730 by the Alsatian jeweler Georg Friedrich Strass. It was in great demand at the court of Louis XV, where Strass became the king’s jeweler in 1734. François Beeckaert, who signed this watch, became a master clockmaker in Paris in 1746.

Source: Vignon, Charlotte. The Frick Collection Decorative Arts Handbook. New York: The Frick Collection/Scala, 2015.