Gilt-brass cased verge watch with alarm [chapter ring and alarm setting disc not original]

Description — British Museum

Cases: Circular gilt-brass case with integral back and hinged bezel. The back is plain. The band consists upper and lower mouldings, wavy and plain, bordering a pierced colonnade of pillars, each one slightly waisted and with a short double cross-bar and plain rectangular plinth and capital. The hinged bezel, now lacking its glass, is not original. At the top a turned gilt-brass pendant with loose ring. Outer tooled leather case with brass hinge and brass closing hooks (one now missing). Lined with red velvet. : DIAL Gilt-brass dial with two bayonet lugs for attachment to the movement. Within a wide, raised rim 12 touch-pins surround a riveted silver chapter ring with Roman hours I-XII, T-shaped half-hour and a quarters circle of alternate hatched and plain rectangles with an engraved scroll pattern around the inside. Within a raised ring, the gilt-brass alarm-setting disc is engraved 1-12 and has four pin-holes to aid rotation. The central area is engraved with scrolls. A second plain brass disc underlies the alarm-setting disc. Neither disc is original. The pierced gilt-brass hand is possibly a replacement. No case catch; dial plate hinged to case at XII. Movement frame: Circular gilt-brass plates with four baluster pillars riveted to the front plate. Screwed-on potence and screwed-on counter-potence. Hatched border around back-plate. Separate bridges screwed to the front plate with gilt-brass screws. The whole of the dial side of the front plate is gilded. Separate bridge on the back plate. Mainspring & set-up: Gilt-brass barrel with pinned-on cap and square hole for mainspring hooking. Two holes for gut-line attachment. Ratchet and click set-up with a elaborately pierced and engraved gilt-brass click. Fusee & stop-work: Gilt-brass fusee for gut-line with English stop-work, the block turned to match the pillars. Train: Four wheel train of gilt-brass wheels, the second wheel and third pinion recessed into the front plate and running in a separate bridge. Second, third and contrate wheels with four crossings. Escapement & balance: Verge escapement with screwed-on balance cock pierced and engraved with foliate scrolls. Also with hog's bristle regulation mounted on a pierced and engraved lever. Alarm train: Powered by a fixed barrel with engraved decoration on the visible side. Three wheel train of solid steel wheels, the second wheel and contrate pinion recessed into the front plate and running in a separate bridge. Steel crown wheel running between screwed-on potence and screwed-on counter-potence. Steel verge with semi-circular hammer pivoting between the front plate and a separate pierced and engraved bridge screwed to the back plate. The alarm is released by a sprung lever operating with a cam running on the dial wheel. : TRAIN COUNT Going train Great wheel:48 Second wheel:40 pinion:6 [pinion not original] Third wheel:35 pinion:5 Contrate wheel:30 pinion:5 Crown wheel:15 pinion:5 : Beats per hour: : Alarm train Great wheel:32 Second wheel:24 pinion:8 Contrate wheel:18 pinion:6 Crown wheel:9 pinion:6. Motion work: Pinion of report: 15 Dial wheel: 45 Fusee:6.5 turns. Duration: 26 hours.

Curator's comments — British Museum

1. The quality of the engraving on the silver chapter ring compared with the general quality of the watch suggests that this ring is not original. Although the dial feet - which are visible on the front of the dial- use the original holes in the dial plate. 2. The lid is very thin and is of a different shape from the case back. It is most likely a replacement, 3. Three other items are known with this maker's mark:- a. A square spring-driven table clock in the British Museum [reg.no. b. A crucifix table clock in Stuttgart. c. A clock formerly in the Sarsin collection - Cat.no 195.