Antique jewelry object group: ladies watch Condition: very good condition Country of origin: unknown Style: Something between Art Deco and Belle epoque - Art Deco is an eclectic artistic and design style which had its origins in Paris in the first decades of the 20th century. The style originated in the 1920s and continued to be employed until after World War II. The term "art deco" first saw wide use after an exhibition in 1966, referring to the 1925 Exposition Internationale des Arts Decoratifs et Industriels Modernes that was the culmination of high-end style moderne in Paris. Led by the best designers in the decorative arts such as fashion, and interior design, Art Deco affected all areas of design throughout the 1920s and 1930s, including architecture and industrial design, as well as the visual arts such as painting, the graphic arts and film. At the time, this style was seen as elegant, glamorous, functional and modern. Style specifics: This is something between Belle epoque and Art Deco. The Belle epoque (French for "Beautiful Era") was a period in European social history that began during the late 19th century from the Franco-Prussian War (1870-1871) and lasted until World War I (1914-18). Occurring during the time of the French Third Republic and the German Empire, the "Belle epoque" was named in retrospect, when it began to be considered a "golden age" the major powers of Europe, new technologies improved lives and the commercial arts adapted Renaissance and eighteenth-century styles to modern forms. In the newly rich United States, emerging from the Panic of 1873, the comparable epoch was dubbed the Gilded Age. In the United Kingdom, this epoch overlaps the end of what is called the Victorian Era there and the period named the Edwardian Era. In the Belle epoque cheap coal and cheap labour contributed to the cult of the orchid and made possible the perfection of fruits grown under glass, as the apparatus of state dinners extended to the upper classes; champagne was perfected during the Belle epoque. Exotic feathers and furs were more prominently featured in fashion than ever before, as haute couture was invented in Paris, the centre of the Belle epoque, where fashion began to move in a yearly cycle; in Paris restaurants such as Maxims achieved a new splendour and cachet as places for the rich to parade, and the Opera Garnier devoted enormous spaces to staircases as similar show places. After mid-century, railways linked all the major cities of Europe to spa towns like Biarritz and Deauville; their carriages were rigorously divided into first-class and second-class, but the super-rich now began to commission private railway coaches, as exclusivity was a hallmark of opulent luxury. Bohemian lifestyles gained a different glamour, pursued in the cabarets of Montmartre. Art Deco Abstract motives and geometrical forms are quite typical for the Art Deco period. Art Deco moved away from the soft pastels and organic forms of its style predecessor, Art Nouveau, and embraced influences from many different styles and movements of the early 20th century, including Neoclassical, Constructivism, Cubism, Modernism, and Futurism. Its popularity peaked in Europe during the Roaring Twenties and continued strongly in the United States through the 1930s. Although many design movements have political or philosophical roots or intentions, Art Deco was purely decorative. Period: ca. 1920 Source of inspiration: Romanticism Theme: One sunbathing (?) woman skillfully engraved in hardstone on the top and bottom of the face of the watch Material: platinum Technique: Cameo is a method of carving, or an item of jewellery or vessel made in this manner. It features a raised (positive) relief image. There are three main materials for Cameo carving; Shells or Agate (called a Hardstone cameo), and glass. Cameos can be produced by setting a carved relief, such as a portrait, onto a background of a contrasting colour. This is called an assembled cameo. Alternately, a cameo can be carved directly out of a material with integral layers or banding, such as (banded) agate or layered glass, where different layers have different colours. Sometimes dyes are used to enhance these colours. Cameos are often worn as jewellery. Stone cameos of great artistry were made in Greece dating back as far as the 6th century BC. They were very popular in Ancient Rome, and one of the most famous stone cameos from this period is the Gemma Claudia made for the Emperor Claudius. The technique has since enjoyed periodic revivals, notably in the early Renaissance, and again in the 17th, 18th and 19th centuries. Extra information: Although the watch is in working condition, it is not meant to use to catch a flight in the evening when you adjusted the time in the morning. There can be a difference of several minutes per day. Diamonds: 16 old European cut diamonds with a total estimated weight of approx. 0.64 crt. 22 single brilliant cut diamonds (also called 8/8) with a total estimated weight of approx. 0.40 crt. Note: All diamond weights, color grades and clarity are approximate since the stones were not removed from their mounts to preserve the integrity of the setting. Total diamond weight: approx. 1.04 crt. Precious stones: 24 sapphires . We did not check if the sapphires are lab produced or not as this information has no influence on the value of this jewel. Natural sapphires and lab produced sapphires were both used in this era, rather more for their effect then for their intrensic value. Two cameos, either one engraved in a graceful attitude Birthstones: Diamond is the birthstone (or month stone) for April and sapphire for September. Hallmarks: No trace. Dimensions: size watch without strap 1,55 cm (0,61 inch) x 4,90 cm (1,93 inch) and total length with strap 19,00 cm (7,48 inch) Weight: 19.90 gram (12.80 dwt) Reference N: 13119-0030 Copyright photography: Adin, fine antique jewelry