Pocket Watch II

Purchased in Vourla (Asia Minor) by Anastasios Mavitzoglou, a merchant from Alaya, this is a mechanical men’s pocket watch with an open-face metal case, fitted with a single front crystal and a side winding mechanism with a brass-toned crown. The dial bears large, raised Arabic numerals and blued steel hands, characteristic of late 19th- to early 20th-century watchmaking. In the lower section, a small seconds sub-dial is visible, indicating a movement with an independent subsidiary seconds train.
The case shows oxidation and surface wear, typical of low-silver or nickel alloys that were commonly used in commercial watches of the period. The absence of decoration suggests everyday use, likely by a merchant or craftsman within the Alaya community.
The watch is a characteristic personal object of its time, often highly valued by its owner and carried as a family heirloom during the uprooting.

Kindly made available for photography by Anastasios Mavitzis, grandson of Anastasios Mavitzoglou.