Blog: Swiss nine carat gold

First published: 12 January 2016, last updated 14 July 2025.

I make additions and corrections to this web site frequently, but because they are buried somewhere on one of the pages the changes are not very noticeable, so I decided to create this blog section to highlight new material. Here below you will find part of one of the pages that I have either changed or added to significantly.

I have done a lot of research into the hallmarking of imported watches, but one thing that had eluded me until recently was how the Swiss dealt with nine carat gold. There was a big market for nine carat gold items in the UK after it was made a legal standard in 1854, but it was not a legal standard in Switzerland until 1933, so what did the Swiss watch manufacturers do - miss out on a big chunk of the market in the UK? Not likely! Read on below for the full story . . .

This is from my page about Swiss hallmarking that can be found at Swiss Hallmarks.

If you have any questions or comments, please don't hesitate to contact me via my Contact Me page.

Nine and 12 Carat Gold

In 1854, Britain made 9, 12, and 15 carat gold legal standards alongside the existing 22 and 18 carat standards. These lower standards quickly became popular because items made from them could legally be called "gold" while being significantly cheaper than the higher carat alternatives. Nine carat gold was particularly appealing due to its lower cost.

It's important to note that only items made from legal standards can legally be called "gold." It is illegal to refer to gold plated, rolled gold, or gold filled items simply as "gold," although this is frequently done by amateur sellers who don't realize the full description must be used.

Nine carat gold contains 9/24 = 0.375 or 37.5% gold by weight, with the remainder consisting of varying amounts of silver, copper, and other elements to achieve different colours. The British legal standards of 12 and 15 carat gold were replaced in 1932 by a 14 carat standard.

Before 1888, the situation was relatively straightforward. A small proportion of 18 carat Swiss watch cases were sent to England to receive British hallmarks. On the continent, 14 carat was a popular gold standard, but 14 carat cases couldn't be hallmarked in Britain because it wasn't a legal British standard of fineness.

The Swiss Precious Metals Control Act of 1880 specified two legal standards of fineness for gold: 18 and 14 carat. This Act came into force in 1882, and Swiss watches with 18 or 14 carat gold cases imported into Britain afterwards carried Swiss hallmarks. However, this created a problem: 9 and 12 carat gold watch cases could not be hallmarked in Switzerland because these weren't recognized Swiss legal standards.

The lack of official Swiss recognition for 9 and 12 carat gold meant that cases made from these alloys could not be assayed or hallmarked in a Swiss Bureaux de Contrôle. This didn't stop Swiss watch manufacturers from wanting a share of the large and growing British market for watches with cheaper gold cases—there was nothing preventing them from making cases from these standards of gold—but the lack of an official Swiss hallmark presented a significant obstacle.

Until 1888, 9 and 12 carat gold watch cases could be hallmarked in British assay offices with traditional British hallmarks. This was entirely voluntary and most Swiss manufacturers didn't bother, but some did take advantage of this option.

English watch manufacturers objected to this practice, leading to a significant change in the Merchandise Marks Act, which came into force in 1888. New British hallmarks for imported watches were specified, featuring the word "Foreign" across the middle. Swiss manufacturers didn't want this derogatory term on their watches, so stopped sending items to Britain to be hallmarked.

The Act banned the import of gold and silver watch cases that were not hallmarked, but allowed foreign hallmarks. Watch cases of 18 and 14 carat gold were hallmarked in Switzerland, and the Swiss hallmarks accepted by British Customs authorities. However, 9 and 12 carat gold cases could not be hallmarked in Switzerland, leaving manufacturers in a difficult position.

Mark in nine carat gold Swiss watch case

To get round the British import restrictions from 1888, Swiss watch case manufacturers began applying their own official-looking marks to 9 and 12 carat gold watch cases. The crown stamp shown in the accompanying image provides an example of this practice. Found on the inside case back of a Swiss ladies' cocktail watch, this case has "9" stamped on its side followed by "375" on the underside of both fixed lugs, clearly indicating 9 carat gold. The crown mark appears twice inside the case back.

These were not official British or Swiss hallmarks but rather marks that the case maker applied to look sufficiently official that British customs and customers would be convinced the case was indeed 9 carat gold.

In 1907, British law regarding imported watch cases changed again with the Assay of Imported Watch-Cases Act. From June 1, 1907, all imported gold and silver watch cases had to be assayed and hallmarked in a British assay office. This solved the problem for exports to Britain. Swiss watch cases destined for other markets where 9 carat gold was legal continued to be marked with unofficial stamps.

In 1914, an agreement was reached allowing, for the duration of the war, watch cases hallmarked in Switzerland to be counter-stamped in Britain without being assayed. 9 and 12 carat gold cases were assayed in Switzerland and stamped with the Swiss Federal Cross.

In 1924, the Swiss Federal Council decreed that all gold watch cases below the legal fineness of 14 carats, but not less than 8 carats, could be assayed and hallmarked with the Swiss Federal Cross in Swiss Bureaux de Contrôle.

If you have any comments or questions, please don't hesitate to get in touch via my Contact Me page.

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