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Gold Pair Cased English Verge, 1751 — view 1 of 4
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Pocket Watches · Pocket watch

Gold Pair Cased English Verge, 1751

DocumentedDocumented from a dealer's listing; attribution and date as stated by the dealer.
Maker / attribution
Unrecorded in source
Date
1751
Country of origin
England
Object type
Pocket watch
Materials / technique
gold
Stock no.
Product 1182
Credit line
Dealer listing, WatchMuseum.org shop (product 1182)
Catalogue title (original)
Gold Pair Cased English Verge (English)

View the source record (dealer listing) ↗ (opens another website in a new tab)Suggest a correction

Record summary

Catalogued by WatchMuseum.org shop (stock number Product 1182), this is a pocket watch, made in England, dated 1751. The Atlas places it in the Precision & Scientific Horology period (1750 – 1850) of its Pocket Watches collection. Materials and techniques recorded by the source: gold. The record is illustrated with 4 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 — WatchMuseum.org shop

Step back in time with the “GOLD PAIR CASED ENGLISH VERGE - 1751,” a stunning testament to the craftsmanship of mid-18th Century English horology. This remarkable timepiece is encased in an exquisite pair case crafted from 22-carat gold, showcasing the opulence and meticulous attention to detail characteristic of the era. The full plate fire gilt movement is adorned with decorative pierced gilt pillars and a beautifully engraved cock, featuring a large diamond endstone set in polished steel. The intricate mechanics include a fusee and chain with a worm and wheel barrel setup, complemented by a plain three-arm steel balance and a blue steel spiral hairspring. The silver regulator disc, mounted on a finely pierced and engraved foot and plate, enhances the watch’s intricate design. The meticulously restored white enamel dial, adorned with Roman numerals and gold hands, adds a touch of elegance. The inner pair case boasts a plain gold finish with a simple shutter to the winding aperture, a small gold pendant, and a bow marked with “AC.” The outer pair case, hallmarked in London in 1788, was purpose-made to protect this exquisite timepiece. Signed by Tos Johnson of London and hallmarked in 1751, this watch, with a diameter of 49 mm, is a beautiful blend of history, artistry, and engineering excellence. This is a remarkable mid 18th Century English verge watch presented in an exquisite pair case made of 22 carat gold. The full plate fire gilt movement features decorative pierced gilt pillars, a pierced and engraved cock, and a large diamond endstone in a polished steel setting. Additionally, it has a fusee and chain with a worm and wheel barrel setup between the plates, and a plain three-arm steel balance with a blue steel spiral hairspring. The silver regulator disc is mounted on a pierced and engraved foot and plate. The white enamel dial has been meticulously restored with Roman numerals and gold hands. The inner pair case has a plain gold finish with a simple shutter to the winding aperture, a small gold pendant, and a bow with the maker’s mark “AC”. The outer pair case was purpose-made, plain gold and hallmarked in London in 1788. This beautiful watch was signed by Tos Johnson of London, and it was hallmarked in 1751. The diameter of the watch is 49 mm. Signed Tos Johnson London Hallmarked London 1751 Diameter 49 mm Origin British Condition Excellent Materials Silver

Historical context

Precision & Scientific Horology (1750 – 1850)

Harrison solves longitude; Mudge invents the lever; Breguet's Paris workshop defines the modern watch.

From 1750 to 1850 the watch became a precision instrument. Mudge's lever escapement, the cylinder escapement, Lépine's thin bar calibre, Breguet's innovations (overcoil, tourbillon, perpétuelle) and the pocket chronometer of Arnold and Earnshaw all date from this period, while verge watches remained common in cheaper production.

Read the period in the timelineMore pocket watches from this periodEarlier: Early Modern Horology

Atlas type guide

Verge and pair-cased watches

After Christiaan Huygens and Robert Hooke applied the balance spring around 1675, the verge watch became a reasonably reliable timekeeper and the minute hand became standard. Through the eighteenth century the typical English watch was a pair-cased verge: a fusee movement with a pierced, engraved balance cock, housed in an inner case and a separate protective outer case, often of repoussé gold, shagreen, tortoiseshell or enamel.

French watches of the same period were thicker 'oignons', later replaced by elegant thinner watches following Jean-Antoine Lépine's bar-bridge calibre of c. 1770. Dutch, Swiss and German makers supplied international markets, and verge watches were made until the mid-nineteenth century as cheaper alternatives to the cylinder and lever.

What to look for

  • The pierced balance cock on the backplate: winged (continental) or with a foot (English); its style dates the watch.
  • Fusee and chain visible through the movement; key winding through the dial (early) or case back.
  • Hallmarks inside English silver or gold cases, which give a date letter.
  • Maker's name and serial number engraved on the backplate; watch papers inside outer cases.
  • Enamel dials (after c. 1720) versus earlier champlevé metal dials.

Dating clues

  • Champlevé dials: c. 1680–1730; white enamel dials thereafter.
  • English case hallmarks give the year of assay to within a year.
  • Verge watches persisted in cheap production until c. 1850.

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:Verge escapement

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