Archive of Sold Items
Showing 25–36 of 1099 results
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Rare Silver Champleve Visible Mock Pendulum Verge
A rare large late 17th Century English silver champleve dial verge with visible mock pendulum in silver pair cases. Unusual reversed deep full plate fire gilt movement, the back signed in the centre and decoratively engraved with two grotesque masks. Broad Egyptian pillars with pierced galleries above, one replaced by a later turned pillar. Fusee and chain with worm and wheel barrel setup between the plates. Signed silver champleve dial, an aperture below the chapter revealing the mock pendulum bob on the steel balance above the engraved plate. Offset chapter of Roman and Arabic numerals, the silver regulator dial visible through an aperture at four o'clock. Blue steel beetle and poker hands. Matching silver pair cases, split bezel, silver pendant and ring bow. Plain silver outer with square hinge, maker's mark “CC”, a crown above.
An unusual and interesting English watch displaying the swinging mock pendulum on the dial. William Harrison, apprenticed 1692, free of the Clockmakers Company 1699Circa 1695£6,500.00 Read more -
Silver champleve Dial English VergeA fine late 17th Century English verge by Markwick with silver champleve dial in silver pair cases. Deep full plate fire gilt movement with Egyptian pillars. Fusee and chain with worm and wheel barrel setup between the plates. Unusual silver pierced and engraved winged cock with mask, pierced and engraved foot. Plain steel balance, silver regulator disc on gilt pierced and engraved plate. Signed silver champleve dial with Roman and Arabic numerals, fine blue steel beetle and poker hands. Matching silver pair cases, split bezel to the inner, silver pendant and stirrup bow. Plain silver outer with seven joint hinge. Maker's mark “RB” in a rectangle and number corresponding to that on the movement in both cases.Signed Markwick LondonIn excellent overall condition with an attractive silver cock. Unusually for an English watch the ratchet for the fusee is located under the wheel rather than on the edge of the fusee cone. Few pair cases of this period were marked and numbered in the outer case. The casemaker, Richard Blundell, registered this mark in 1682 and another (BL) in 1697.Circa 1695£5,300.00 Read more
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Rare Rack Striking Verge by Windmills
A rare late 17th Century rack striking and repeating verge by Windmills in silvered pair cases. Deep full plate fire gilt movement with two tulip pillars and three decorative turned pillars. Fusee and chain with worm and wheel barrel setup between the plates. Pierced and engraved winged cock with pierced and engraved foot, the winding square in an aperture in the table. Turned steel balance, silver regulator disc. Pierced and engraved resting barrel for the strike, some of the train with five leaf pinions. Push pendant and hour repeating and striking on a bell in the case. Signed silver champleve dial with Roman and Arabic numerals, fine blue steel beetle and poker hands. Pierced and engraved silvered inner case, split bezel, push pendant to release the strike train. Strike silent lever in the bezel. Purpose made silvered outer case simply pierced with a series of holes and engraved on the back with a bow and quiver of arrows.
An early example of rack striking with a very rare use of a mechanism which ensures the correct hour is stuck when the repeat pendant is used. Similar to the device used in Stogden repeaters the snail is moved backwards if it is approaching the hour. This ensures the correct hour is struck accurately. It seems Windmills wished to keep this secret by only allowing access to the under dial work to someone who knew how to remove the dial. The deep dial plate is slid onto three pegs fixed to the front plate of the movement. These were originally secured by pins under the dial which could only be removed by releasing the dial which was fixed by four bayonet feet. This necessitated unscrewing the case latch pin before rotating the dial to be able to lift it. At some time a watchmaker has sympathetically altered the watch by removing the bayonet feet and replacing them with conventional one and fixed the dial plate with three small blue steel screws. Joseph Windmills, free of the Clockmakers Company 1671, Master 1702 – 1723. Entered into partnership with his son in 1700 after which the signature used was changedCirca 1695£11,500.00 Read more -
Rare Silver and Tortoiseshell Verge
A rare late 17th Century English verge in fine silver and tortoiseshell pair cases. Deep full plate fire gilt movement with elaborately pierced and engraved pillars. Fusee and chain with worm and wheel barrel setup between the plates. Pierced and engraved winged cock with mask, pierced and engraved foot. Plain steel balance, silver regulator disc. Signed silver champleve dial with Roman and Arabic numerals, blue steel beetle and poker hands. Plain silver inner case with split bezel, large central circular shutter to the winding aperture, silver pendant and stirrup bow. Fine outer case covered in tortoiseshell which is inlaid in a decorative foliate design with engraved silver and mother of pearl. The front bezel covered in tortoiseshell and similarly decorated. Silver bezels and square seven joint hinge.
An impressive watch. The decorative work on the outer case is unusually extravagant and is in extremely fine condition. Mother of pearl is a delicate material, seldom used on watch cases. It is very rare to find cases employing this technique in reasonable order, this one has survived almost undamaged. Michael Johnson London and Barnard Castle 1687 – 1704Circa 1695£39,000.00 Read more -
Early English Verge Alarm Watch
A late 17th Century English single handed verge alarm in silver pair cases. Deep full plate fire gilt movement with five Egyptian pillars. Fusee and chain with worm and wheel barrel setup between the plates. Wound through the pierced and engraved winged cock with small mask, small pierced and engraved foot. Plain steel balance, silver regulator disc. Short alarm train, pierced and engraved resting barrel, large blue steel stopwork wheel. Double headed hammer striking on a bell in the case. Silver champleve dial, the later gilt hand on the rotating centre indicating the time, Roman numerals, blue steel alarm time hand. Attractive silver inner case, a wide band pierced and engraved bordered by further engraving. Later long pendant and bow. Plain silver outer case.
A fine early English alarm. Although not pierced the outer appears to be original. Unlike repeating and clockwatches an alarm only needs to sound when the watch is at rest rather than when worn. It would make sense to leave watch without the outer having wound both trains at night. The plain outer case could then protect the movement from dirt and dust during the dayCirca 1695£5,750.00 Read more -
French Mock Pendulum Oignon
A fine large late 17th Century French oignon pocket watch with cartouche dial in pique decorated case. Very deep full plate fire gilt movement with slender Egyptian pillars, fusee and chain. Chased and engraved cock with sunburst decoration, sem-circular aperture to reveal a steel bob on one arm of the plain steel balance. Below this the regulator index adjusted by a square next to the cock. Engraved gilt dial set with white enamel cartouches of black bordered blue Roman numerals, enamelled ring marked for the hours and quarters. Wound through the centre of the later single blue steel hand. Deep gilt metal consular case, gilt pendant and ring bow. Shells to the case covered in black leather decorated with fine gold pique pins.
A fine example of a late 17th Century French oignion watch, the delicate pattern of gold pique decoration on the back in surprisingly good condition. Jean Rousseau, OrleansCirca 1695£9,500.00 Read more -
Silver French Oignon with Silver Cock
A late 17th century French verge oignon with silver cock in a silver consular case. Very deep full plate fire gilt movement, slender Egyptian pillars with turned finials. Fusee and heavy chain with spring and ratchet setup between the plates, the barrel with a rim to both top and bottom. Silver pierced and engraved bridge cock, plain three arm steel balance with blue steel spiral hairspring secured by a square pin. Silver regulator dial under a slender blue steel bridge acting on a visible blue steel rack, silver pierced and engraved decoration flanking it. Silver chased and engraved plate to protect the escapement from a broken fusee chain. Winding through the unusual white enamel dial, Arabic minute numerals, the Roman hour numerals on raised “cartouches”. Finely pierced gilt hands. Plain silver consular case, silver ring pendant and bow.
An attractive example with a number of decorative features in silver. Ten members of the Yver family are listed as working in Angouleme between 1670 and 1783Circa 1695£2,650.00 Read more -
Silver Mock Pendulum Verge with Enamel Portrait
A late 17th Century English mock pendulum verge with silver champleve dial in a silver consular case bearing an enamel portrait. Deep full plate fire gilt movement with tulip pillars. Fusee and chain with worm and wheel barrel setup between the plates. Mock pendulum cock with glazed semi-circular aperture to reveal a blue steel bob on one arm of the balance. Pierced and engraved foot and plate for the silver regulator disc which has an engraved raised border enclosing the balance. Signed silver champleve dial with Roman and Arabic numerals, gilt tulip and poker hands. Silver consular case, short silver pendant and stirrup bow. The back set with a polychrome enamel portrait of a lady on a black ground.
Circa 1695£4,400.00 Read more -
Silver Oignon with Mock Pendulum
A late 17th century French verge oignon with silver mock pendulum cock in a silver consular case. Very deep full plate fire gilt movement, slender Egyptian pillars with turned finials. Fusee and heavy chain with spring and ratchet setup between the plates, the barrel with a rim to both top and bottom. Engraved silver mock pendulum bridge cock with semi-circular aperture to reveal a steel bob on one arm of the balance. Silver regulator dial under a blue steel bridge acting on a visible blue steel rack, silver pierced and engraved decoration flanking it. Silver chased and engraved plate to protect the escapement from a broken fusee chain. Decorative pierced and engrave decoration to the foot of the case spring. Winding through the unusual white enamel dial, Arabic minute numerals, the Roman hour numerals on raised “cartouches”. Unusual silver beetle and poker hands. Plain silver consular case, seven joint square hinge, silver ring pendant and bow.
Circa 1695£4,600.00 Read more -
English Repeater by Thomas Tompion
A late 17th Century quarter repeating verge by Thomas Tompion in later gilt metal cases. Deep full plate fire gilt movement with three Egyptian pillars, one gilt turned baluster pillar and a slender blue steel turned baluster pillar. Fusee and chain with worm and wheel barrel setup between the plates. Pierced and engraved cock, broad pierced and engraved foot. Plain steel balance, silver regulator disc. Push pendant quarter repeating on a bell in the back of the case. Later white enamel dial with Roman and Arabic numerals, pierced gilt hands. Later gilt metal pair cases, the inner pierce and engraved in a band. Gilt push pendant for the repeat. Plain gilt metal outer.
A rare chance to purchase an early example of a Tompion repeater. He employed an unusual form of repeating work where the teeth of the rack is hinged and moved vertically when the pendant is depressed. It requires care in its execution and does not appear to have been copied by other makersCirca 1698£7,750.00 Read more -
Silver Mock Pendulum Sun & Moon Verge
A fine late 17th Century English mock pendulum verge with Sun and Moon champleve dial in silver pair cases. Deep full plate fire gilt movement with tulip pillars. Fusee and chain with worm and wheel barrel setup between the plates. Mock pendulum cock with decoratively pierced and engraved table, open semi circular section to reveal the oscillating bob on one arm of the steel balance. Pierced and engraved foot and plate for the regulator square. Signed silver champleve dial, Arabic numerals for the minutes, blue steel poker hand. The hours are indicated by a blue steel disc which rotates once every 24 hours. This is viewed through a semi-circular aperture and has engraved on one half the gilt sun and on the other the moon. At the edge of the semi-circle the hours are marked from six through twelve and back to six in Roman numerals. As the sun disappears at the right of the aperture the moon appears at the left. Plain silver inner case, silver pendant and ring bow, maker's mark “Bl”. Plain silver outer case.
A fine watch in excellent condition. Luke Bird, (Old Bailey) apprenticed 1695, free of the Clockmakers Company 1683 – 1705. The casemaker is probably the Britannia mark for Richard BlundellCirca 1700£9,500.00 Read more -
French Oignon Pocket Watch with Cartouche Dial
A fine late 17th Century French verge oignon with gilt and enamel cartouche dial in a gilt consular case. Deep full plate fire gilt fusee movement, the slender Egyptian pillars with decorative silver caps. Silver pierced and engraved bridge cock, large three arm steel balance with spiral blue steel hairspring. Decorative pierced and engraved silver affix above the contrate wheel. Small silver index under a blue steel bridge, decorative pierced and engraved silver affixes (one lacking). Wound through the engraved gilt dial set with white enamel cartouches of blue Roman numerals outlined in black for the hours and black Arabic numerals for the minutes, one cartouche restored. Fine blue steel beetle and poker hands, the minute hand with a short tail. Deep gilt metal consular case covered with a gilt shell decoratively chased and engraved, gilt pendant and ring bow.
In excellent overall condition. The majority of oignon watches have the decoration well rubbed, sometimes almost smooth. This example has survived with the engraving still very clearCirca 1700£4,300.00 Read more
