Mavi Boncuk | ![]()
My 2704726 652 serial number made for the Turkish market (shown below) . The dial is signed “K. Serkisoff & Co. Constantinople. The Ottoman style numerals are really cool. Serkisof (occasionally Serkjsof) was a wholesale importer established under the Ottoman Empire in Istanbul, Turkey. Made by George Favre. Constantinople and Le Locle, Switzerland, c. 1900. Silver cased watch for the Turkish market with club tooth lever escapement. On the dial "K SERKISOFF & Co CONSTANTINOPLE" in gold, with above a polychrome garland of flowers. On the front plate, visible from the back, an inscription in Arabic.(2) On the back plate written in a garter is "BILLODES" enclosing a trade mark(1) and on the barrel bridge click cover is also "BILLODES". Dial and Hands: The dial with "Turkish" chapters with a sunk subsidiary seconds dial. Above the name, which is in gold, is a garland of flowers, in green, red and gold. A gold rim around the minute circle. Blued-steel spade hands and a blued-steel seconds hand.
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Pocket watch made by Billodes[1] for the Ottoman Empire. The Ottoman Empire signed an agreement with the K.Serkisoff company in 1880 to give a watch as a gift to those who retired from the Railways. Serkisoff, a merchant living in Istanbul. The watches are actually made by a Swiss manufacturer called Billodes, which later became Zenith.
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Mavi Boncuk |
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J.Barth and Fils watchmaker company Geneve 1880-s
Turkish Market full hunter pocket watch, has a Sterling Silver case with elegant floral decorations. 800/1000 silver case. It measures 46mm in diameter. The dial is marked with K.Serkisoff and Co., Constantinople. The dial has a hand-drawn flowery design. The ‘billodes’ [1] movement is 23 Jewels and is key rewound.
Movement diameter: 40 mm
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Weight of watch: 68.9 grams
Case: Full hunter, Silver 800,
Dial: Porcelain, hand-painted, Ottoman style with second dial
Movement: Billodes, jeweled, key-wind and key-set
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The movement was used by Zenith until ca. 1905 when the newer range of calibres (e.g. 19''' N.V.S.I and similar) were introduced. It is possible that Zenith used up old stock of Billodes and Diogene movements for the Ottoman market
Made for Turkish railways.TCDD Zenith, Omega and Serkisoff
SOURCE https://www.watch-wiki.net/index.php?title=Zenith
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The brand Zenith
Georges-Favre Jacot envisions the future of watchmaking with ZENITH, a new vertical approach to Swiss watchmaking.
Pocket watch made by Billodes[1] for the Ottoman Empire. The Ottoman Empire signed an agreement with the K.Serkisoff company in 1880 to give a watch as a gift to those who retired from the Railways. Serkisoff, a merchant living in Istanbul. The watches are actually made by a Swiss manufacturer called Billodes, which later became Zenith.
The tradition of presenting a belted Serkisoff to railway retirees, which started with the Ottoman Empire, has been continued for a long time in the Republic of Turkey as well. These pocket watches have been imprinted in our memories by being identified with the railways for generations.
Mavi Boncuk |
J.Barth and Fils watchmaker company Geneve 1880-s
Turkish Market full hunter pocket watch, has a Sterling Silver case with elegant floral decorations. 800/1000 silver case. It measures 46mm in diameter. The dial is marked with K.Serkisoff and Co., Constantinople. The dial has a hand-drawn flowery design. The ‘billodes’ [1] movement is 23 Jewels and is key rewound.
Movement diameter: 40 mm
Weight of watch: 68.9 gramsCase: Full hunter, Silver 800,
Dial: Porcelain, hand-painted, Ottoman style with second dial
Movement: Billodes, jeweled, key-wind and key-set
The movement was used by Zenith until ca. 1905 when the newer range of calibres (e.g. 19''' N.V.S.I and similar) were introduced. It is possible that Zenith used up old stock of Billodes and Diogene movements for the Ottoman market
Made for Turkish railways.TCDD Zenith, Omega and Serkisoff
Since the 19th century, Serkisof has been the exclusive supplier of watches to the Turkish National Railways (TCDD). Serkisof pocket- and wristwatches were a common gift from for retired employees from the Turkish Railways. Serkisof also imported/produced watches for the consumer market; those from the USSR were identical to domestic Soviet watches aside from the brand on the dial.watches aside from the brand on the dial.
Serkisof was an Istanbul-based jeweler and importer of Soviet watches for the Turkish market not just railroad (Demiryolu) Molniya but many other Soviet makes - the Turko-soviet equivalent of Sekonda, Cornavin,etc.
On a side note, a laudable tradition of railroad watches seems to have existed in Turkey: excellent wrist (often late 1950s to 1970s Corteberts and Atomiks) and pocket watches (usually Molniya-Serkisof) bearing the winged wheel of the Turkish State Railroads, possibly gifted to Turkish Railroad workers on retirement, or on completion of so many years of service...
On a side note, a laudable tradition of railroad watches seems to have existed in Turkey: excellent wrist (often late 1950s to 1970s Corteberts and Atomiks) and pocket watches (usually Molniya-Serkisof) bearing the winged wheel of the Turkish State Railroads, possibly gifted to Turkish Railroad workers on retirement, or on completion of so many years of service...
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[1] Billodes were the forerunners of the Zenith brand by Georges Favre Jacot but, sadly, not any where near Zenith quality. The cap jewels on the train wheels are more decorative that functional and the materials used are pretty shoddy. The company was started by Jacot in 1865 but the Zenith brand was not adopted as the sole company name until around 1910.
[1] Billodes were the forerunners of the Zenith brand by Georges Favre Jacot but, sadly, not any where near Zenith quality. The cap jewels on the train wheels are more decorative that functional and the materials used are pretty shoddy. The company was started by Jacot in 1865 but the Zenith brand was not adopted as the sole company name until around 1910.
Only 22 years young, Georges Favre-Jacot founded the “Fabrique des Billodes” in Le Locle in 1865. He initially made precision pocket watches signed with his name. Around 1900 the product range was expanded. Board chronometers, table clocks, precision pendulum clocks and later also marine chronometers were manufactured. From 1903, the Favre-Jacots company regularly and very successfully took part in the Neuchâtel Observatory competitions with pocket watches and on-board chronometers. Favre-Jacot's nephew, James Favre, sold the watches to North and South America, Russia, India, China and Japan. A branch was founded in Moscow in 1908, in Paris in 1909, in Vienna in 1910 and in London in 1914. The Zenith brand was created when the company was converted into a public limited company in 1911. In the same year, Favre-Jacot resigned and handed over the management of the company to James Favre.
Billodes was a trade name of Zenith who made this watch. It is a lower mid grade watch and looks to be good condition Paris 1889 refers to a medal they won at that exposition.
The slots on the balance wheel are to make it look to be a temperature compensated wheel which it is not. It probably was a good value at the time but it is not a very fine watch. That is probably why Zenith did not sign it themselves.
The slots on the balance wheel are to make it look to be a temperature compensated wheel which it is not. It probably was a good value at the time but it is not a very fine watch. That is probably why Zenith did not sign it themselves.
One must notice that GFJ was among the first mass-making plants in Switzerland and at the time Swiss mass made movements were technologically interior to American - it is a pre-Zenith movement...
The name "Zenith" came to his mind, when he just had developed a movement which seemed to him more perfect than all previous; looking up at the sky full of stars the sky appeared to him similar to the game of the wheels and cones in a perfect mechanical instrument, and he decided that his new movement and its manufacture should be named after the highest point of the universe: the zenith. From this emerged also the choice of a five-pointed star as corporate icon.
From 1903, the Favre-Jacot company took part regularly and very successfully in the competitions of the observatory Neuchâtel with its pocket watches and on-board chronometers. In 1903, he achieved a first prize in the competition of the observatory of Neuchâtel. The nephew of Favre-Jacot, James Favre, sold the watches to North and South America, Russia, India, China and Japan. 1908 followed the establishment of a branch in Moscow, 1909 in Paris, 1910 in Vienna and 1914 in London.
The name "Zenith" came to his mind, when he just had developed a movement which seemed to him more perfect than all previous; looking up at the sky full of stars the sky appeared to him similar to the game of the wheels and cones in a perfect mechanical instrument, and he decided that his new movement and its manufacture should be named after the highest point of the universe: the zenith. From this emerged also the choice of a five-pointed star as corporate icon.
From 1903, the Favre-Jacot company took part regularly and very successfully in the competitions of the observatory Neuchâtel with its pocket watches and on-board chronometers. In 1903, he achieved a first prize in the competition of the observatory of Neuchâtel. The nephew of Favre-Jacot, James Favre, sold the watches to North and South America, Russia, India, China and Japan. 1908 followed the establishment of a branch in Moscow, 1909 in Paris, 1910 in Vienna and 1914 in London.
NOTE: Pocket watch developed in 1906 by the Fabrique des Billodes (later: Zenith). The caseback features the manufactory's guilloché (a pattern as on metalwork made by interlacing curved lines) signet. This model was re-manufactured in the 1980's.
Georges-Favre Jacot envisions the future of watchmaking with ZENITH, a new vertical approach to Swiss watchmaking.
By transforming the firm into a stock company in the year 1911 the Zenith brand arose. In the same year Favre-Jacot retired and handed the management of the company over to James Favre. By James Favre, there was a revival of old traditions, especially with the "neuchâteloises". These new pendulum clocks were equipped with a 8-day carillon and on demand had also a quarter-hour repetition. 1923 he founded another company in the French Besançon and 1926 an additional office in New York.
After the First World War Zenith began with the development and manufacture of wristwatches, including alarm and chronograph functions. Zenith was instrumental in developing the now-standard central seconds complication, with the direct arrangement of the 1948 calibre 133 now widely used. For the chronographs movements by Valjoux, Excelsior Park and from 1960 on by Martel were used, which were bought by Zenith. In May of the year 1929, the astronomical observatory in England told the public that out of 19,835 watches from all over the world a watch by Zenith set a new record with a daily deviation of only 0.6 seconds.
After the First World War Zenith began with the development and manufacture of wristwatches, including alarm and chronograph functions. Zenith was instrumental in developing the now-standard central seconds complication, with the direct arrangement of the 1948 calibre 133 now widely used. For the chronographs movements by Valjoux, Excelsior Park and from 1960 on by Martel were used, which were bought by Zenith. In May of the year 1929, the astronomical observatory in England told the public that out of 19,835 watches from all over the world a watch by Zenith set a new record with a daily deviation of only 0.6 seconds.