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Peter Desmarais St. Martins Court Leister Square Rose Gold Pocket Watch, 1803 — view 1 of 6
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Pocket Watches · Pocket watch

Peter Desmarais St. Martins Court Leister Square Rose Gold Pocket Watch, 1803

DocumentedDocumented from a dealer's listing; attribution and date as stated by the dealer.
Maker / attribution
Unrecorded in source
Date
1803
Country of origin
Unrecorded in source
Object type
Pocket watch
Materials / technique
gold
Stock no.
Product 3178
Credit line
Dealer listing, WatchMuseum.org shop (product 3178)
Catalogue title (original)
Peter Desmarais St. Martins Court Leister Square Rose Gold Pocket Watch (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 3178), this is a pocket watch, dated 1803. 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 6 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

The Peter Desmarais St. Martins Court Leister Square Rose Gold Pocket Watch - 1803 is a breathtaking testament to early 19th-century English craftsmanship, embodying both historical significance and timeless elegance. Crafted in London around 1803 by the esteemed watchmaker Peter Desmarais, this exquisite timepiece features an 18K rose gold pair case with polished inner and outer surfaces, hallmarked for authenticity. The original white enamel dial is adorned with offset Roman numeral hour markers, a black outer minute track, and precise 1/5 second divisions, all complemented by original gold hands, including a central second hand. Inside, the watch boasts a gilt full plate cylinder escapement, a meticulously pierced and engraved balance cock, and a silver regulation dial, all protected by an original dust cover and fully signed and numbered. Notably, it includes an early stop mechanism, often referred to as a doctor’s watch. Peter Desmarais, who operated from St Martins Court, now known as Leicester Square, left an indelible mark on horology with his work from 1794 to the early 19th century. This pocket watch, with its 56 mm diameter and excellent condition, is a remarkable piece of history, reflecting the pinnacle of English watchmaking from a bygone era. Here is a description of a stunning 18K rose gold pocket watch, made by Peter Desmarais in London around 1803. The watch features a beautiful original white enamel dial with offset Roman numeral hour markers, a black outer minute track, and 1/5 second divisions. The gold hands are original, including the center second hand. The watch has an 18ct rose gold pair case with polished inner and outer cases, hallmarked for London in 1803. The case maker is stamped IW. Inside, the gilt full plate cylinder escapement, pierced and engraved balance cock, and silver regulation dial with an original dust cover are all fully signed and numbered. The watch also has an early stop mechanism, commonly known as a doctor’s watch. Peter Desmarais was a London watchmaker who worked from 1794 to the early 19th century. The location of his workshop was St Martins Court, which is today known as Leicester Square. This pocket watch is a wonderful example of early 19th century English watchmaking, and it has remained in pristine condition over the years. Creator: Peter Desmarais Case Material: 18k Gold,Rose Gold Case Shape: Square Case Dimensions: Diameter: 56 mm (2.21 in) Place of Origin: England Period: Early 19th Century Date of Manufacture: 1803 Condition: Excellent

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

Pocket watches

The pocket watch was the dominant personal timekeeper from the late seventeenth century until the First World War. Its development tracks the history of the escapement: verge watches with fusees until the late eighteenth century; Thomas Mudge's lever escapement (c. 1755) and the cylinder escapement popularised by George Graham and later by Swiss makers; and the Swiss and English lever watches of the nineteenth century. Lépine's bar-bridge calibre and keyless winding made watches thinner and easier to use.

Industrialisation transformed the trade: American factories such as Waltham (from 1850) and Elgin produced interchangeable parts by machine, and Swiss makers responded with their own mechanisation after the 1876 Philadelphia Exhibition. By 1900 a reliable watch was affordable to millions; the finest makers continued to produce complications and precision watches.

What to look for

  • The escapement: verge (crown wheel), cylinder, duplex, English or Swiss lever.
  • Key winding (a square arbor in dial or back) or keyless crown winding.
  • Signatures and serial numbers on the movement, dial and inside case back.
  • Hallmarks, case maker's marks and gold or silver standards stamped in the case.
  • Dial material: enamel, silver, gold, later printed metal.

Dating clues

  • Verge watches dominate before c. 1800; cylinder watches c. 1770–1900; lever watches after c. 1820.
  • Keyless winding: increasingly common after c. 1860.
  • Manufacturer serial number lists exist for Waltham, Elgin, Longines, Omega, Patek Philippe and others.

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 escapementDetached lever escapementFuseeIdentification Centre

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