
Pocket Watches · Pocket watch
Thomas Russell & Son Liverpool Yellow Gold Kew, c. 1910s
- Maker / attribution
- Unrecorded in source
- Date
- c. 1910s
- Historical period
- Golden Age of Mechanical Watchmaking (1900 – 1945)
- Country of origin
- England
- Object type
- Pocket watch
- Materials / technique
- gold
- Dealer
- WatchMuseum.org shop
- Stock no.
- Product 3684
- Credit line
- Dealer listing, WatchMuseum.org shop (product 3684)
- Catalogue title (original)
- Thomas Russell & Son Liverpool Yellow Gold Kew (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 3684), this is a pocket watch, made in England, dated c. 1910s. The Atlas places it in the Golden Age of Mechanical Watchmaking period (1900 – 1945) 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 Thomas Russell & Son Liverpool Yellow Gold Kew pocket watch, originating from the early 1910s, is a remarkable testament to the exquisite craftsmanship and timeless elegance of antique timepieces. This stunning full hunter pocket watch, crafted by the renowned Thomas Russell & Son, is a heavy yellow gold keyless lever masterpiece that has been certified by the prestigious Kew A Observatory Chronometer. The watch’s dial is a work of art, adorned with pristine white enamel, bold black Roman numerals, and the distinctive red “Kew A Adjusted” lettering that speaks to its precision and heritage. The outer minute track and subsidiary seconds dial at six o’clock, complemented by the original blued steel spade hands, enhance its classic allure. The 18ct yellow gold case is a marvel in itself, featuring an intricately entwined monogram on the front cover, a plain back cover, and a fully hallmarked inner cuvette, marking its origin in Chester in 1911. What truly distinguishes this watch is its sophisticated movement, which includes a highly jewelled, nickel-finished Tourbillon-style bridge, screwed-in chatons, a micro regulation system, a compensation balance, and a lever escapement, all of which exemplify the pinnacle of watchmaking artistry. Beyond its aesthetic and mechanical brilliance, this watch carries a rich historical significance, having passed the rigorous Kew A certification, with its credentials officially recorded in the annals of the National Physical Laboratory Kew. This makes the Thomas Russell & Son Liverpool Yellow Gold Kew pocket watch not only a symbol of beauty and craftsmanship but also a significant piece of horological history, embodying the elegance and precision of early 20th-century English watchmaking. Here is a detailed description of a magnificent antique pocket watch: This is a Thomas Russell & Son Liverpool heavy yellow gold keyless lever full hunter pocket watch, certified by Kew A, dating back to the 1910s. The dial is a true masterpiece, featuring exquisite white enamel with red “Kew A Adjusted” lettering, black Roman numerals, an outer minute track, and a subsidiary seconds dial at six o’clock. The original blued steel spade hands add a touch of elegance to this already stunning timepiece. The 18ct yellow gold full hunter case boasts a beautiful entwined monogram on the front cover and a plain back cover. The inner cuvette is plain as well, and the case is fully English hallmarked for Chester 1911. What makes this watch truly unique is its movement. It features a highly jewelled, nickel-finished Tourbillon-style bridge with screwed-in chatons, a micro regulation system, a compensation balance, and a lever escapement. This is a true marvel of watchmaking craftsmanship. But what really sets this watch apart is its rich history. It passed the Kew A Observatory Chronometer certification, which is officially recorded in the books of the National Physical Laboratory Kew. This makes it a highly important watch, not only for its beauty and craftsmanship but also for its historical significance. Creator: Thomas Russell & Son Case Material: 18k Gold,Yellow Gold Case Shape: Round Case Dimensions: Diameter: 50 mm (1.97 in) Place of Origin: England Period: Early 20th Century Date of Manufacture: 1910 Condition: Good
Historical context
Golden Age of Mechanical Watchmaking (1900 – 1945)
The wristwatch displaces the pocket watch; waterproof cases, self-winding and grand complications.
The pocket watch reached technical maturity and then began to give way to the wristwatch after the First World War. Complicated watches for collectors such as Henry Graves Jr. and James Ward Packard, railroad watches, and slim Art Deco dress watches are characteristic.
Read the period in the timelineMore pocket watches from this periodEarlier: Industrial Revolution
Atlas type guide
Pocket chronometers and precision watches
A pocket chronometer is a watch built to observatory standards, traditionally with a detent escapement like a marine chronometer. English makers such as John Arnold and Thomas Earnshaw made the first pocket chronometers in the 1780s. In the nineteenth century the term increasingly referred to any watch that had passed official rating trials at observatories in Kew, Neuchâtel, Geneva or Besançon, and the Swiss lever chronometer became dominant.
Tourbillon and karrusel watches belong to the same world of precision. Breguet patented the tourbillon in 1801 to average out positional errors; Bahne Bonniksen's karrusel (1892) was a cheaper English alternative. Rating certificates (bulletins de marche) that accompany such watches are historical documents in their own right.
What to look for
- Detent escapement (no pallets; a fine spring detent locks the escape wheel).
- Observatory certificates, competition results or 'Chronometer' marking on the dial.
- Tourbillon carriage visible through an aperture or on the movement.
- Fine finishing: jewelled holes in gold chatons, diamond endstones.
Dating clues
- English pocket chronometers: c. 1780–1900.
- Observatory trials at Neuchâtel from 1866, Geneva from 1873, Kew from 1884.
- Karrusels: 1892–c. 1915.
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:Spring detent (chronometer) escapement
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