Description

For sale is a rare French haute joaillerie wristwatch signed Marchak à Paris and cased by Verger Frères, executed in 18k yellow gold and set with original old-cut diamonds across the bezel and lugs. Presented on its matching 18k yellow gold bracelet, this is a quietly important piece — a watch that sits at the intersection of two of the most significant names in twentieth-century Parisian jewellery, made in the immediate post-war years when Marchak’s reputation as the “discreet Cartier of the rue de la Paix” was at its height.

Marchak à Paris — A Discreet Maison of the Rue de la Paix

Marchak’s story begins not in Paris but in Kyiv, where Joseph Marchak founded his workshop in 1878 and built it into the largest jewellery house in the Russian Empire after Fabergé — earning the nickname “the Cartier of Kiev”. The Russian Revolution forced the family west, and in 1922 Joseph’s son Alexander re-established the maison in Paris at 4 rue de la Paix, the same short stretch of pavement that housed Cartier, Boucheron, Van Cleef & Arpels and Mauboussin.

Within three years Marchak had been awarded the Grand Prix at the 1925 Exposition Internationale des Arts Décoratifs et Industriels Modernes — the exhibition that gave Art Deco its name — competing on equal terms with the largest Parisian houses.

The case on this watch carries the maker’s mark of Verger Frères, the Parisian case-maker founded in 1872 by Ferdinand Verger and operated through the twentieth century by his sons and grandsons.

Specifications

Brand: Marchak (à Paris)

Model: Diamond-Set Jewellery Wristwatch

Year: circa 1940s

Case material: 18-karat yellow gold

Case diameter: approx. 20 mm

Bezel: Textured gold-tone bezel

Strap: Original 18k yellow gold bracelet with concealed clasp

Movement: Small Swiss manual-wind movement

Condition: Good vintage condition with light signs of wear consistent with age

Accessories: Watch only (no box or papers)

Warranty: 1 year warranty

Collector Appeal

Vintage diamond-set jewellery wristwatches signed by named Parisian maisons represent one of the most rewarding niches in vintage collecting, prized for their craftsmanship, the discretion of their scale, and the rarity of surviving examples in honest, original condition. This Marchak-signed, Verger Frères-cased example sits squarely in that tradition.

Availability

This vintage diamond-set jewellery watch is available through Vintage Times Amsterdam.

For further information or high-resolution images, please feel free to contact:

Vintage Times

Vintage Times Amsterdam is a small watch boutique who mainly deals online and with a select group of private collectors. We are constantly looking for rare vintage timepieces and try to present the best condition available. Please don’t hesitate to get in contact for more information about this watch or other timepieces from our collection. We ship worldwide and also welcome you for a visit at our office in Amsterdam.

email: [email protected]

tel / app: +31 6 4 1111 044