| This watch presents something of a puzzle. Its number would date it at 1848. The layout of the movement is similar to the Savage watch No. 18954 which is hallmarked 1849, but without the dust cover. The case appears initially to be fully marked on all three pieces. However close inspection of the case markings "IMC" and "SS" show they are not the ones usually found. I, M, and C
are more widely spaced and the characters in "SS" bear different serifs. More oddly the two lids of the watch bear an earlier hallmark than the body of the case, London 1869 and 1874 respectively. The body bears the makers mark "RJO" in an oval, the marks on the lids are rubbed although one could be "GH" in an oval. The body of the case is not numbered but the lids are marked "757" and "8757", the leading numbers being rubbed. This might be thought to be an error on
the part of the person stamping the number in the case but inspection of the underside of the cock reveals the number "57"! The engraving on the movement is a good match to genuine McCabe watches with the exception of a bar in the middle of the "x" of Exchange. The signature on the dial is almost exactly the same but the seconds subsidiary is sunk, which is very uncommon with genuine dials. Another feature which is unusual is the set hands square is at the back of the movement although this is the same as watch
18959. Is this watch a contemporary forgery or a genuine McCabe movement which has been given several lives? It may have first had the two covers replaced in 1869, the goldsmith carefully reproducing the marks from the original covers as closely as he could. Five years later the body of the case might have needed replacing now being somewhat older than the covers. This time the number was omitted from the marks. Complete dismantling of the movement might reveal the truth. |
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