Early Dutch calendar verge

A large and early Dutch silver pair cased calendar verge, with a wonderful silver balance bridge.

MOVEMENT : Gilt verge movement, with a large and beautifully engraved and pierced silver balance bridge, showing a bird, foliage, scrolls and hounds. Silver regulator disk and four square baluster pillars.

Further silver work, to the stop work bracket, case spring terminal, and a decorative silver rim to the top plate.

The balance wheel, with 4 spokes, is unusually shaped to allow winding through the balance bridge.

Signed “GERRIT BRAMER, AMSTERDAM”.

In good condition and running well. The calendar function is also working correctly.

DIAL : Fine silver champleve dial, signed as the movement, and with a calendar aperture below the centre. In excellent condition.

Nice early gilt hands.

INNER CASE : A plain silver case, with rubbed maker’s mark ?BER.
Unusual construction, with a band around the side of the case, and a collar attached to the stem. Both of these features appear to be original, the collar possibly to make it easier to lift the inner case from the outer.

Some wear to the stem, holding the solid silver bow, but otherwise all in good condition. The high dome, bull’s eye crystal is fine and the bezel snaps shut correctly.

OUTER CASE : Large silver repousse outer case.
Fine engraving to the bezel and band, featuring scrolls and animals (including a camel). A repousse scene in the centre of the back, showing Poseidon and Amphitrite on their chariot.

The silver is in good condition, with just some wear to the high points of the repousse decoration on the back, and scratched initials BC at the top of the Classical scene.
The hinge, catch and catch button are fine and the bezel snaps shut correctly.

Gerrit Bramer was born in Zwolle, Holland, in 1684, the son of Willem Bramer. Married in 1712, he had his own workshop and a showroom as well as a coffee house on the east side of the stock exchange on the Rokin canal in Amsterdam. He was a prolific maker who produced table and long case clocks as well as watches.