
Pocket Watches · Pocket watch
Silver Pair Cased English Verge Pocket Watch, 1811
- Maker / attribution
- Unrecorded in source
- Date
- 1811
- Historical period
- Precision & Scientific Horology (1750 – 1850)
- Country of origin
- England
- Object type
- Pocket watch
- Materials / technique
- silver
- Dealer
- WatchMuseum.org shop
- Stock no.
- Product 1467
- Credit line
- Dealer listing, WatchMuseum.org shop (product 1467)
- Catalogue title (original)
- Silver Pair Cased English Verge 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 1467), this is a pocket watch, made in England, dated 1811. The Atlas places it in the Precision & Scientific Horology period (1750 – 1850) of its Pocket Watches collection. Materials and techniques recorded by the source: silver. The record is illustrated with 3 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 SILVER PAIR CASED ENGLISH VERGE POCKET WATCH from 1811, a true marvel of early 19th-century horology. This exquisite timepiece, signed by the renowned Morris Tobias of London, is a testament to the craftsmanship and precision of its era. Encased in matching silver pair cases, the watch features a full plate fusee movement with round pillars and a gilt dust cover, intricately pierced to showcase the stunning engraved round cock. The plain three-arm steel balance, complemented by a gilt regulator, ensures accurate timekeeping, while the fully restored white enamel dial, adorned with Roman numerals and blue steel hands, adds a touch of elegance. The subsidiary seconds dial further enhances its functionality. Measuring 60mm in diameter and 13mm in depth, this watch is not only a functional timepiece but also a piece of art, making it a perfect addition to any collection. The maker’s mark “JB” in a rectangle and the hallmarks from London 1811 authenticate its historical significance, making it a prized possession for collectors and enthusiasts alike. We have an exquisite early 19th Century English verge watch with a subsidiary seconds feature in silver pair cases. This watch has a full plate fusee movement with round pillars and a gilt dust cover that is pierced to reveal the stunning pierced and engraved round cock. The plain three arm steel balance is accompanied by a gilt regulator on top of the plate, providing accurate timekeeping. This watch has been fully restored, including the white enamel dial with a subsidiary seconds dial, Roman numerals, and blue steel hands. The matching silver pair cases have an oval pendant and bow, along with the maker’s mark “JB” in a rectangle. This masterpiece is signed Morris Tobias London and was hallmarked in London in 1811. It has a diameter of 60mm and a depth of 13mm, making it a perfect size for any collector or enthusiast. Its exquisite craftsmanship and beautiful design make it an ideal addition to any watch collection. Signed Morris Tobias London Hallmarked London 1811 Diameter 60 mm Depth 13 mm
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.
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