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| Index No. A5106 | Fusee Lever by Frodsham with Plated Balance Spring |
| An interesting mid 19th Century English freesprung fusee lever by Charles Frodsham with experimental gold plated balance spring in a gold full hunter case. Gilt half plate keywind movement with reverse fusee and chain, Harrison's maintaining power. Plain cock with diamond endstone. Compensation balance with freesprung gold plated blue steel overcoil hairspring. Screwed in jewelling, escape and lever and seconds pivots with endstones. English table roller lever escapement. Signed white enamel dial with subsidiaries for seconds and power reserve, Roman numerals, blue steel subsidiary hands, gold hands. Engine turned 18 carat full hunter case with ribbed middle, maker's mark "FM" in a rectangle. | ||
| Signed | Charles Frodsham - 84 The Strand London - 101397 | |
| Condition | Hallmarked London | 1860 |
| Case | Very good, the engine turning rubbed. | ||
| Dial | Very good, hairline cracks. | Diameter | 53 mm |
| Movement | Excellent. |
| A high quality movement with the only known example of a gold plated balance spring used by Frodsham. In 1862 Airy and Frodsham discussed methods of preventing balance springs rusting. Frodsham carried out experiments with plating balance springs on marine chronometers and may have included this pocket watch in them. See The Frodshams by Dr. Vaudrey Mercer pages 92 and 93 where this watch is mentioned. In addition to the balance spring the movement is also reverse fusee and has an endstone to the seconds pinion lower pivot. Both these features are very uncommon and demonstrate that the watch should be able to maintain the highest standards of timekeeping. |
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