Pocket Watches · Pocket watch
18ct yellow gold Charles Frodsham Full Hunter minute repeating keyless pocket watch, 1892
- Maker / attribution
- Charles Frodsham (maker)
- Date
- 1892
- Historical period
- Industrial Revolution (1850 – 1900)
- Country of origin
- England
- Object type
- Pocket watch
- Materials / technique
- yellow gold
- Dimensions
- Case 52 mm
- Stock no.
- G3625
- Credit line
- Dealer listing, Somlo Antiques (G3625)
- Catalogue title (original)
- 18ct yellow gold Charles Frodsham Full Hunter minute repeating keyless pocket watch. Made 1892 (English)
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Record summary
Catalogued by Somlo Antiques (dealer), London (stock number G3625), this is a pocket watch by Charles Frodsham, made in England, dated 1892. The Atlas places it in the Industrial Revolution period (1850 – 1900) of its Pocket Watches collection. Materials and techniques recorded by the source: yellow gold. Recorded dimensions: Case 52 mm. The record is illustrated with 2 photographs.
Assembled from the source record's structured fields. Dates and attributions are given as the source states them; where a field is missing the Atlas leaves it blank rather than estimating.
Catalogue description
Dealer description — Somlo Antiques
Charles Frodsham was the son of William James Frodsham. It seemed that the young man had picked up this family trait for horology when at the tender age of twenty he distinguished himself by submitting one of his first marine chronometers to the Premium trials at Greenwich Observatory. Soon after, he was made fellow of the Royal Astronomical Society. ‘Charles Frodsham & Co’ was founded in 1843 in central London after taking over the clockmakers ‘Arnold & Co’ at 84 Strand, London. Here Charles Frodsham built a renowned and well-respected business that in 1854 was granted the Royal Warrant and made keeper of Her Majesty’s clocks, an honour the company still holds today. From the latter half of the nineteenth century onwards, Frodsham pieces have been exhibited all over the world. His double-escapement skeleton clock manufactured for the Great Exhibition in 1851 is still considered unique. ‘Charles Frodsham & Co’ is now located in St James's, London and Simon Frodsham, the great-great-great nephew of the founder, still sits on the board of the company. Brand: Frodsham Made: 1892 Model: Full Hunter Reference: - Calibre: N/A Movement: Manual Material: 18ct yellow gold Features/complications: Full hunter Dial: White enamel dial with black printed outer minute track featuring Roman numeral markers with blued spade hands and subsidiary seconds at 6 o'clock Case dimensions: 52mm Bracelet/strap: N/A Accessories: N/A SKU: 3625
Historical context
Industrial Revolution (1850 – 1900)
American interchangeable-parts manufacture; railroad time standards; Swiss and German factory systems.
Machine production with interchangeable parts, pioneered by Waltham (1850s) and adopted by Elgin, Longines, Omega and others, made reliable lever watches widely affordable. Keyless winding became standard, railroad watch standards were introduced (1890s), and Swiss and American industries competed globally.
Read the period in the timelineMore pocket watches from this periodEarlier: Precision & Scientific Horology
Atlas type guide
Repeating watches
Before electric light, telling the time in the dark was a real problem. Repeating watches strike the time on demand when a slide or push-piece is operated: quarter repeaters sound hours and quarters, minute repeaters hours, quarters and minutes. Edward Barlow and Daniel Quare disputed the invention in London in the 1680s. Early repeaters struck on a bell inside the case; Abraham-Louis Breguet introduced the gong (a coiled steel wire) around 1780, allowing thinner watches.
Repeaters require a separate train with racks, snails and a governor to control the striking speed, and are among the most demanding complications to make and adjust. Swiss makers of the Vallée de Joux specialised in repeating ébauches in the nineteenth century.
What to look for
- A slide on the case band or a push-piece through the pendant.
- Gongs encircling the movement (after c. 1780) or a bell in the case (earlier); pierced case for sound.
- The racks, snails and governor visible under the dial or on the movement.
- Terms such as 'Minutes', 'Quarts' or 'Répétition' on the dial or cuvette.
Dating clues
- Bell-striking quarter repeaters: c. 1690–1800.
- Gong repeaters and dumb repeaters (striking on the case): after c. 1780.
- Minute repeaters became more common after c. 1830 with Vallée de Joux ébauches.
General guidance written by the Atlas editors about this kind of object. It is not a statement about this particular piece; for that, rely on the source record above and on physical examination.
Read next:Minute repeater
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