Early 18thc. Verge With Gilt Dial

This is an early London verge escapement watch, in a gilt consular case.

MOVEMENT : Gilded fusee verge movement, with engraved and pierced winged balance cock. Four Egyptian pillars. The balance cock is nicely engraved with a mask to the neck amid scrolls.

Signed John Berry and numbered 868 (this serial number is also stamped on the dial plate).

All in very good original condition and running well.

This movement has an unusual feature, occasionally seen in London watches of the period. The balance cock table incorporate a small screwed down bracket at the top right, allowing the table to be stabilized.
Another interesting feature of the balance is the hairspring stud which has a square section hole and pin, rather than the normal round section. The use of square pins was first used by Thomas Tompion.

DIAL : A good gold champleve dial, signed to the centre as the movement.
In very good condition.

Good 18thc. blued steel beetle and poker hands, in excellent condition.

CASE : Gilded copper (or brass) with no maker’s mark. Engraved throughout. The cover to the winding aperture is opened and closed by a small sliding button near the hinge.

In good condition though the gilding in worn in places. The hinge and catch are fine and the bezel snaps shut, though the catch button has worn down. The high dome bull’s eye crystal is good, with just a couple of small chips right on the edge, almost hidden by the bezel.

The maker is probably John Berry of London, apprenticed to John Ebsworth in 1684, free in 1692, and working alone at the Dial in St.Clement’s Lane from 1705.