Verge with automaton polychrome dial

A rare automaton dial watch in silver pair cases, in particularly good condition.

MOVEMENT : Gilt verge movement, with beautifully engraved and pierced balance cock featuring a female bust at the neck. Four round pillars, blued screws and Bosley type regulator.

Unsigned but numbered 25677.

Working, and all in excellent condition.

DIAL : Polychrome enamel dial, showing a military scene. Beautifully painted, with castle and marching red coated soldiers. The soldiers can be seen marching across the door of the castle. This aperture exposes a disk on the dial plate which rotates. This disk is painted with four marching soldiers.

The dial is in excellent condition.

Good matching gilt hands.

INNER CASE : Silver, with Birmingham hallmarks for 1815/16, and case maker’s mark JM.
The back is engraved with the first owner’s name GIDDINGS * PORTER and dated 1816

In excellent condition throughout. The hinge is fine and the bezel snaps shut.

The high dome bull’s eye crystal is perfect.

OUTER CASE : A silver pair case, with hallmarks and maker’s mark matching the inner.
The back is engraved with the initials GP.

In very good condition, though there are some scratches around the catch button. The catch, catch button and hinge are all fine and the case snaps shut.

Giddings Porter was probably the original owner, rather than the maker. It is an unusual name, but there is a Giddings Porter recorded. He was born in 1811 or 1812 in Boston, Lincolnshire. He had died by 1887.

The movement is unsigned, but the part of the top plate above the mainsping is undecorated. This space would have been intended for the retailer to sign their name, but in this case not done.