Silver verge with wandering hour dial

A late 17th century London verge, with a beautiful ‘wandering hour’, sun & moon dial , in silver pair cases.

MOVEMENT : Gilt verge movement, with finely pierced balance cock and plate, four wonderful wide gate type pillars pierced with trailing foliage, and silver regulator disk. The balance cock table is beautifully engraved with two birds.

Signed “John Ewer fecit”.

In very good condition, and running.

DIAL : A beautiful silver champleve ‘wandering hour’ or retrograde dial, with central revolving disk, marking the day time hour with the sun, and the night time with the moon. Signed as the movement.

There are a few very light scratches to the blue background of the disk, but generally all in fine condition. Excellent gilt minute hand, of the period, and probably original.

INNER CASE : Silver, with rubbed maker’s mark.
Very good condition. The hinge is fine and the bezel closes correctly. The high dome crystal is fine.
The stem and bezel are slightly later replacements (mid 18th century).

OUTER CASE : Fine silver outer, with no maker’s marks. Nice large square hinge.
The hinge and catch are fine (though the button is worn) and the bezel closes correctly.

John Ewer is listed as making in London in and around 1690. A maker of this name was also apprenticed to Luke Bird in 1687.