Gilt-brass and rock crystal cased verge watch in the form of a crucifix

Description — British Museum

Movement frame: Cruciform plates, the corners rounded, with four baluster pillars. Riveted potence and riveted counter-potence. The potence plate engraved with flowers around the regulation index and a label containing the signature. A recess in the pillar-plate with a separate screwed-on bridge. Mainspring barrel: Gilt-brass barrel with upper and lower flange, dovetailed cap and rectangular hole for the mainspring hook. The ratchet and click set-up is modern. Fusee & stop-work: Gilt-brass fusee for gut line and with standard stop-work. Train: Four wheel train, the third and contrate wheels replaced. Escapement & balance: Verge escapement with all the components replaced. Pinned-on balance-cock, pierced and engraved with foliate scrolls. Engraved on the potence-plate is a scale for a hog's bristle regulator which now has a modern steel arm with a steel pin. Motion work/duration: Pinion of report replaced now has 10 . Dial wheel: 30 Fusee: 6.5 Duration : 25.6 hours. : DIAL: Cruciform gilt-brass dial with rounded corners. The edge of the dial is bevelled and is engraved with a beaded decoration. Engraved around the outside with foliate scrolls and birds. Engraved chapter-ring with Roman hours I-XII within two circles. In the centre an engraved townscape. The dial is very thick with a deep recess for the dial wheel. Blued-steel hand. : CASE: Undecorated gilt-brass case in the form of a quadrate cross with a small maltese cross at the end of each limb. Moulded band with hinges for the lid and bezel which contain rock crystals with bevelled edges. Pendant in the form of a maltese cross with a loose ring. On the inside of the upper band is a gilt-brass screen which changes the shape from the quadrate form of the case to the latin cross with rounded corners of the dial and movement. : Possibly fake.

Curator's comments — British Museum

This watch is something of a puzzle. On the one hand the movement shows elements which could well be of 17th century date. The dial on the other hand appears to be modern. It is not logical to have a cruciform case matched with a dial engraved with secular subjects. The engraved decoration is also in a style more likely to be modern. It is also illogical to have a quadrate cross case with the rounded latin cross dial and movement. It is possible that the watch represents a 20th century marriage of a 17th century case to a 17th century movement, poorly restored and attached to the case by the fitting of a new dial and an inset panel in the case to support it. The dial does not fit down in the case but is raised above it by the closing lugs at the bottom which overlap the case band.