Antique Timepiece Support Spindle No.199 - Steampunk Tahkli Style - c1900 Keystone Case + Dial

Antique Timepiece Support Spindle No.199: One-of-a-Kind Steampunk Design - Tahkli Style - Circa 1900 Swiss Engraved Sterling Silver with Gold Wash Pocket Watch Dial and c.1900 10k Gold Filled (US Made) Wadsworth Ladies Fob Watch Case

WEIGHT: 1.1oz. (33g), WHORL: 1.47” (37mm) diameter, SHAFT: - this is the smaller of the 2 that I make = .105" (2.6mm) dia. x 7.75" (19.7cm) length in high-gloss Illusion Purple

- NO-HOOK OPTION - Choose Option in Drop Down Menu - REMOVES 1/2" from total shaft length

This is a light to medium weight support spindle that is very well balanced and has a good amount of rim weight to keep it spinning a long time... it will be wonderful for spinning a wide variety of short and longer staple fibers.

Made from 11 individual pieces, the two main pieces of this spindle represent absolutely gorgeous works of art with a circa 1930 Swiss made Silver with gold-wash hand-engraved pocket watch dial with painted roman numerals, and a circa 1900 USA Made Wadsworth Case Co. 10k Gold-Filled - 20 Year Warranted Half-Hunter ladies style Fob Watch Case with floral engraving. The case has the winding stem and bail removed and filed down to smooth - then I made several milled acrylic pieces to fill the void inside where the movement was removed, and weights were made to balance the whole piece before final assembly. The dial was mounted onto the inside of the front case cover and filled with epoxy resin to mimic the original glass... and the complete dial and case makes up the whorl. The whorl is mounted onto one of my signature powder-coat painted high-carbon steel shafts with a heat forged hook - in Illusion Purple and silver + silver plated findings are attached to the shaft top and bottom sides. All components are assembled with an industrial 2-part epoxy adhesive.

HISTORY of SWISS MADE WATCHES: The Swiss became dominant watchmakers following the religious upheavals of the early 16th century when wars forced civilians to become refugees and flee across the European continent. Some of these refugees moved to Switzerland, especially Geneva and took their watchmaking expertise with them. Of note, French Huguenots fled persecution in France and brought with them their watchmaking knowledge and a ban on gold jewelry in the city of Geneva, Switzerland drove the goldsmiths and jewelers to turn to watchmaking as an alternative instead of escaping the city.  Unlike gold jewelry, watches were not banned and resulted in a lucrative market for the jewelers. The Swiss watch industry greatly expanded from these circumstances and thus the Swiss industry was born.

A wide variety of Swiss (analog watch – Circa 1600 - 1950) watch movements were made from the ornately hand carved and pierced gilt brass movements to less decorated and utilitarian brass and nickel plated alloy movements. Dials were also made in a very wide variety of designs - including fancy silver and gold alloys with ornate carvings, full color/hand painted polychrome works of art on porcelain enamel, common white and colored porcelain enamel dials with hand painted and silkscreen printed numerals and markings, and more basic plated base metal dials.

The WADSWORTH CASE COMPANY started as H.A. Wadsworth & Co. in Newport, Kentucky, in 1889, becoming a major manufacturer of gold-filled watch cases, known for quality, innovations like the "Pilot" case, and earning Army-Navy "E" awards for wartime production during WWII before being sold to the Elgin Watch Company in 1951.

FREE SHIPPING - US ONLY - via USPS Ground Advantage Package service w/tracking and insurance. Ships from Tucson, AZ USA

INTERNATIONAL & UPGRADED SHIPPING AVAILABLE: Customer pays 100% of shipping charges for these options

All spindles are hand crafted in Tucson, AZ, by John Galen Gudenkauf (owner/artist) with US and Globally made Materials.