Mid 17thc. London gold & enamel watch

A large, mid 17thc. London verge, in a wonderful gold and enamel case.

MOVEMENT : The gilt verge, single handed movement has a pre balance spring escapement. There are four crested pillars, a large mainspring barrel, a gut driven fusee wheel, and blued mainspring setup parts mounted on the top plate.

Signed George Hamilton in St. Martins Le Grand, London.

In good condition for the date. Running, though stops occasionally after a few minutes.

One of the pillars is missing the ornamental crest just under the top plate. Another of the pillars is worn above the plate so is not pinned. There is some rubbing to the surface of the balance cock neck and a few marks to the gilding generally.

The parts between the plates appear to be original, though the gut fusee cord has been replaced.
On the top plate, the mainspring set up thin steel spring is a later replacement. The balance wheel has three polished steel spokes, so is probably later than the original two spoked.

DIAL : The gilt dial is set within a beautifully engraved gilt metal band. The chapter ring has black Roman numerals, with a finely made floral engraving to the central disk.

Blued steel hand.

There are two small stains on the dial, both near the edge, at the II and V1 numerals.
The hand is of the correct style but is probably a replacement or has been re blued.

CASE : This is a large gold case, with enamel decoration to the back, the bezel and the inside.

The hinged bezel is glazed, and with the sides is decorated with landscapes and sacrificial scenes.  The case back shows a scene from ancient Greek mythology. This is the embarkation of Theagenes and Charikleia, based on a painting by Charles Poerson (circa 1640).  The inside of the case is decorated with a wooded landscape featuring a lake and a boat with four figures

The crystal is fine, held in place by four gold tabs on the bezel. The hinge and catch are also fine, and the bezel closes correctly. The small enamelled gold suspension ring is good.

There is retouching and restoration to the enamel, especially around the band.

This case was probably made in France (Blois) or Switzerland (Geneva) where specialist enamel workers provided cases to English watchmakers.

There is a George Hamilton listed in London (no place mentioned) in 1690, but this watch is earlier than 1690 so this may not be the Hamilton at St. Martins Le Grand.

PROVENANCE : Private collection, Basel, Switzerland. By inheritance to that collection.

The painting by Charles Poerson (1609–1667), now part of the collection of the Louvre Museum in Paris, served as a model for the depiction (last photo).

A watch by Claude Raillard, dated 1660-70, and decorated with the same image by Poerson, was sold at Christies in Paris in 2022 :

Claude Raillard

Another watch, in the Louvre museum, signed G. Gamot à Paris, features a similar depiction based on Poerson’s painting and is dated 1640–1660 :

G. Gamot