A rare compartmentalized wooden watchmaker's box containing an antique assortment of metal parts for making multi-winding watch keys (or "star" winders). The inside of the lid features superb period handwritten labels numbered 1 to 12, with the inscriptions "Bézières nickel double fine steel" and "Double nickel crowns mounted fine"—typical of late 19th and early 20th-century watchmaking supplies. The original compartments still contain rods, threaded ends, and crown components used to assemble the universal keys shown in the last photograph.
✦ Origin: watchmaker's workshop, France ✦ Estimated period: late 19th / early 20th century ✦ Dimensions: 17×10.5×3 cm ✦ Material: Wood, handwritten label, metal and brass ✦ Contents: Complete assortment of watch parts (key tips) ✦ Condition: good presentation condition, wear and stains related to use, partial but coherent original contents with traces of rust.
A true testament to the watchmaking expertise of the period, this box with handwritten labels is as much a collector's item as a professional document.
