One day, 20+ years ago my father, an avid pocket watch collector, called me on the phone to say he had found his grail watch in an old jewelry store in Northern Indiana, USA. He told me the watch was a minute repeater with simple chronograph housed in a beautiful 18k pink gold hunting case. He told me that watch had no maker's mark but that it was "jeweled through the hammers" and very high grade and in excellent shape. My dad, a notorious cheapskate, had called to ask if he should buy it. It was more than he had ever paid for a watch and he felt guilty. I basically told him that if he didn't walk back into the store and buy the watch right now I would disown him.

My dad is still alive at almost 93 years old but he recently made me the custodian of this watch. We had determined long ago that the watch was made by the Swiss firm of Le Phare which was started by the master watch maker and entrepreneur Charles Barbezat-Baillot in the 1870s. What I did not know until today was that somewhere around the time my dad's watch was made in the late teens, Le Phare was taken over by Zenith who owned it until the early 1920's. So, it is possible that my father's watch is actually...a Zenith.

I am a still photographer by trade but this watch is best in moving pictures. I apologize for my video ineptitude, but I think this little two minute clip will show you what an interesting little watch this is...Zenith heritage or not.

 

That is an awesome watch!

 

That's incredible. Very cool watch - and thanks for sharing the video!

 

Very beautiful and cool watch..........

LOL

 

The article which gives the company history of Le Phare including the reference to Zenith ownership is in The Bulletin of the National Association of Watch and Clock Collectors #289 from 1994. The article was written by my good friend Bill Kapp who has forgotten more about watches than most experts ever learn. Here is a link.

JohnCote

http://www.johncotephotography.com/Watches/NAWCC-Bul-289_179_LePhare.pdf

 

Great story, and I enjoyed the video. Nice to share this passion with your father

 

Thanks all for the kind words. I am glad to have learned a lot from my dad.

JohnCote

 

Lou,

I helped my dad (also Lou) try to find out who made this unmarked watch when he first bought it. The configuration of the movement with its centrifugal regulator for the repeating mechanism makes it obvious that this was made by Le Phare. I did not know the Zenith connection until this morning.

JC

 

Awesome!

 

Thanks John, it's my Post of the Day

 

Such a solid piece. So beautiful.

 

Thank you for this fascinating post, sir!

 

Great story and terrific watch. Congratulations, and thanks for posting!

 

Awesome pocketwatch, in excellent condition. My father collects postal history, with a specific interest in the early Australian gold rush and the first colonies, while this is very interesting, it is not nearly so beautiful or tactile.

 

I do love the tactile thing with watches but I wasn't always a watch guy. As a little kid I spent a lot of time with my dad in pawn shops etc and a lot of it was boring. I am 60 now though and looking back on it I couldn't wish for anything more. I still buy watches from some of the sons of the shop owners my dad knew.

JohnCote

 

Simply wonderful! Thanks for sharing.