Silver cased verge chaise-watch with hour striking and alarm

Description — British Museum

Movement frame: Circular gilt-brass plates with five baluster pillars. Riveted potence and riveted counter-potence. Three separate bridges riveted to the dial side of the pillar-plate. Engraved decoration around the verge aperture. Mainspring & set-up: Gilt-brass barrel with snap-in cap and riveted steel hook. Tangent-screw set-up with a silver index disc engraved 1-8, the indicator in the form of engraved foliage. Fusee & stop-work: Gilt-brass fusee with chain and English stop-work, the spring and stop-iron replaced. Going train: Three-wheel train of gilt-brass wheels, the second and contrate wheels with three crossings. A separate bridge for the recessed second wheel and contrate pinion. The second wheel probably replaced. Escapement & balance: Verge escapement, the verge and balance replaced. Gilt-brass screwed on balance cock, pierced and engraved with scrolling foliage. Striking mechanism: Count-wheel striking, for hours only. Gilt-brass fixed barrel, pierced and engraved with foliate scrolls on the visible side. Geared stop-work mounted on the potence-plate. Six wheel train terminating with a roller pinion, the fourth wheel and fifth pinion recessed into the pillar-plate and running in a separate bridge. Count-wheel replaced. Warned release with two pierced foliate steel gates. The train is released by a 12-point star-wheel on the dial wheel. Alarm train: Powered by a fixed gilt-brass barrel pierced and engraved on the visible side. Geared stop-work mounted on the potence-plate. Three-wheel train, the great and second wheels gilt-brass, the contrate wheel of solid steel. The second wheel and contrate pinion recessed into the plate and running in a separate bridge. The hammer is operated by a steel crown wheel and verge. The crown wheel running between a riveted scroll-shaped potence and a screwed-on counter-potence. Released by a brass cam mounted friction-tight on the dial wheel, the release lever and spring not original. Dial & hand: Gilt-brass dial plate with an engraved border to surround the pinned-on silver chapter-ring. Roman hours I-XII and foliate half-hour marks surround a quarter-circle. In the centre, a silver alarm-setting disc engraved 1-12, with a steel pointer at 12 to show the time. The middle of the disc is engraved with a design of foliate scrolls. At the centre a steel alarm-setting hand. The dial plate has three bayonet lugs which engage in the pillar-plate with a latch to lock. : CASE: Silver case with plain silver bezel, split and glazed. Band pierced and engraved with foliate scrolls incorporating a rabbit, snail, pigeons/doves, butterflies, a shrew ? a monkey, and a caterpillar. Silver pendant with loose ring. Inside the case a bell which is probably a replacement. Train count: Going: Great wheel, 70 teeth 2nd wheel, 62 teeth, 6 leaves Contrate wheel, 54 teeth, 6 leaves Escape wheel, 17 teeth, 5 leaves Striking: Great wheel 60 teeth 2nd wheel (pin wheel) 48 teeth, 8 leaves 3rd wheel 36 teeth, 6 leaves 4th wheel 32 teeth, 6 leaves 5th wheel 28 teeth, 6 leaves Fly 6 leaves Alarm: Great wheel 36 teeth Intermediate wheel 28 teeth, 8 leaves Contrate wheel 24 teeth, 8 leaves Crown wheel 7 teeth, 7 leaves.

Curator's comments — British Museum

There is an indistinct inscription on the back of the alarm-setting disc which may relate to the maker or dial engraver. [DT.1/92] Associated dates : 1834 (12th July). Associated dates : 1909 (August).