Calling all Pocket Watch Buffs

I realise it's a 90%+ lost cause, but in the likely case it becomes an ornament I'd like to give her a little bit of history about the watch so shen can identify with what her GGF carried with him.

So far I know about the case. Just the movement puzzles me.

This movement may be too old to be listed in any of the usual fingerprint catalogs (I.e. Bestfit). I suspect that, once the movement is identified (should that happen), it may not be identified as a product of an internationally known maker. If you can pull the dial, someone with a Bestfit fingerprint catalog (me), may be able to put a name the the maker of the movement as an aid to locating parts, or a donor movement. But then there’s the case, and the dial…….!

@Duracuir1 may still have his service revolver. I know he has a solution for watches that are hopeless cases!

As I noted before, restoration will be nigh on impossible, but if it's to become an ornament on a shelf, it'd be nice if the lady could tell her kids more about her GGFs watch.

Many people these days have no idea that when you bought a watch like this, it was a two part process. First, choose the movement, then the case, and the seller would have them assembled (or in reverse if the buyer was more interested in the look of the case). A bit of an explanation would help her understand why a Swiss movement is in a Canadian case.

I've found all I need about the Empress GF case and can weave that into the story of the watch.

I'd like to identify the maker of the movement so I can piece together the probable life of the case and movement.

Getting a bit closer to establishing what it is.

The stamp on the barrel bridge reads "D.F&C", so Dimier Frères & Cie, a Swiss based company with a London office.
The Dimier name is one of the well known ones in the Swiss watch industry, even to current times.



With the name of an importer of Swiss ebauches I was able to find a similar movement, although a bit more elaborate that the subject one. Sadly this is another "no-name" brand, possibly assembled by Dimier or maybe another English jeweller.



So, did Dimier Bros in London import the movement from Switzerland and import an Empress case from Toronto, or is it possible the movement made it's way to Canada and was cased there?

I'm still waiting on the owner to decide if they are going to send it to me (purely for forensic purposes now) so until I get the watch I'm no wiser.
To me there are genetic Tavannes traits with the barrel/ratchet wheel on the right of the movement, a greater number of calibers from other makers have the opposite (barrel on the left of the movement). There is also the unusual train bridge shape, almost as if a full plate bridge has been cut in half, I find it attractive though.

If this progresses I'll provide an update.

The Roman numerals and general look of the dial appears to me to be of a style typical of English dials of the era. So, Swiss watch, English dial, Canadian case. There would have been little reason for the case to have been imported to England from Canada in that era as there would have been many English case makers to choose from, at the time. With no name on the dial, this watch was likely assembled out of bits “off the shelf” by a watch broker. On occasion, a watch broker may have printed a name on a dial using India ink! Ask me how I know.

Maybe a watch assembled for the market in England that found its was to Canada to be re-cased here? To then have found its way to wherever it is now. Pure conjecture!