Silver cased verge coach watch with hour striking and alarm [dial not original]

Description — British Museum

Movement frame: Circular gilt-brass plates with four baluster pillars. Three separate bridges for the recessed train wheels. Engraved decoration around the verge aperture. Riveted potence and screwed-on counter potence. Mainspring & set-up: Gilt-brass barrel with dovetailed cap and riveted steel hook. Ratchet and click set-up mounted on the pillar-plate, the click replaced. Fusee & stop-work: Gilt-brass fusee with chain and standard stop-work. Going train: Three wheel train of gilt-brass wheels, the second wheel and contrate pinion recessed into the pillar-plate and running in a separate bridge and both with three crossings. Escapement & balance: Verge escapement now with a brass 3-arm balance and spiral balance spring with geared regulation. Striking train: Count-wheel striking, for hours only, powered by a fixed gilt-brass barrel, pierced and engraved on the visible side. The original geared stop-work formerly mounted on the potence-plate has been removed and replaced with a later similar system now mounted on the dial side of the pillar-plate. Six wheel train of solid gilt-brass wheels, the fourth wheel and fifth pinion recessed into the pillar-plate and running in a separate bridge. Warned release with two steel gates. Silver count-wheel engraved 1-12 and with an engraved centre of realistic flowers. The hour to be struck shown by a gilt-brass hand. Released by a twelve-point star wheel on the dial wheel. Alarm train: Gilt-brass barrel, pierced and engraved on the visible side. Mainspring with geared stop-work, the finger piece, brass wheel and pierced brass cover not original. Three wheel train of solid wheels, the great wheel gilt-brass, the second wheel solid steel and the contrate wheel brass with a steel rim. The second wheel and contrate pinion are recessed into the pillar-plate and run in a separate bridge. Brass crown wheel with steel rim, running between a scroll-shaped riveted potence and a screwed-on counter-potence. Released by a cam on the dial wheel. Semi-circular steel hammer mounted on a steel verge. Dial & hands: Silver dial-plate engraved on the dial side with a border of foliate scrolls and realistic flowers. The central area removed except for six lugs which are drilled to accept the dial feet. The plate is also engraved on the underside with scrolling foliage to provide a border for the movement. Movement attached by three bayonet lugs, one with a locking latch. Later [20th century] solid silver dial engraved in a style relating to ca.1620-30. The hour and minute hands are probably contemporary with the dial. : CASE: Very thick silver case with a hinged bezel,glazed but not split. Case with plain back, and a band pierced and engraved with foliate scrolls and realistic flowers. Silver pendant, hallmarked. A bell in the case.

Curator's comments — British Museum

The watch has undergone considerable updating in the early part of the 18th century, including:- 1. The addition of a new brass 3-arm balance with spiral balance spring. 2. The addition of geared regulation. 3. The replacement of the original balance-cock with a balance bridge. 4. The removal of the striking-train stop-work from the potence-plate and the construction of new stop-work under the dial. 5. The alteration from rear winding to through-the-dial winding. : Further alterations have been made in the 20th century. : 6. The replacement of the original dial wheel with a new one to operate with the newly installed minute wheel and pinion to provide the watch with minute indication. The minute wheel is driven by a pinion mounted on the extended second wheel arbor. 7. The addition of a heavy silver dial which almost certainly replaces a dial which was put on when the watch was converted to balance-spring operation. 8. The 18th century verge and pallets were replaced.