English Verge silver antique pocket watch - c1760s

Description

This is a very fine English silver verge antique pocket watch, dating from 1760. The watch is in excellent condition for a piece dating back 250 years and is in full working order. It comes from my watchmakers private collection and is very special. It was made by hand [no machinery in those days] by a watchmaker called Richard Lervis of Wincanton and is of course a one-off watch as there was no mass production in those days. Watches took a long time to create and very few people could afford to buy them. It dates well before the first Swiss watchmakers, to a time when the English lead the way in watchmaking. Please note that the photos are a little dark; the watch is brighter in reality.

The watch is paircased [this means that the watch itself sits in an outer case] and the outer case is original to the watch. The tortoiseshell outer case is made of silver, which is rare for a tortoiseshell case. The watch itself features a silver case, an excellent original dial, original bullseye lens, original beetle and poker hands and a chain-driven verge fusee movement, which is very clean and features Egyptian pillars.

The movement has just been cleaned and oiled by my watchmaker and is in very good working order for a watch of this age. The watch comes with a key for winding and setting and a new presentation box for wrapping as a very special present. If you are looking for a certain financial investment this is it. Fewer and fewer pocket watches from this early era are coming to the market and their value will only rise. If you are buying the watch as a beginner to antique pocket watches, please call me after receiving it so that I can explain how to handle and operate it. Please feel free to request any further photos you may need.

My asking price is below the true value of the watch. Such is the high quality of the watch, I will include a six month written guarantee on the movement, which is long enough for you to assess the working order. Also, I offer a full refund if you are not entirely happy, as long as the watch is returned within seven days if UK customer, fourteen days if overseas, in the same condition. Please feel free to view the watch in central London.

The tortoiseshell outer case is made of silver and is in very good condition for its age, with the hinge in good order. The original papers are still inside the back of the case and the tortoiseshell is in good condition. The outer case is hallmarked underneath the papers. It measures 49mm wide x 21mm deep.

The case of the watch itself is also silver and also is in very good condition. It measures approximately 41mm wide x 18mm deep, excluding lens x 59mm high, including the stem and bow. The stem and bow are in good condition. The case opens on a hinge and the dial/movement swings out on a hinge, with this action working correctly. The inside back of the case carries clear London hallmarks, dating to 1760.

The original, unrestored dial is in lovely bright condition, with no cracks. The only wear is a small chip on the edge next to the 6 position, which is largely obscured by the bezel. The original steel ‘beetle and poker’ hands are in excellent unbent condition, and the original ‘bullseye’ lens is very clear, with no significant wear - amazing for a watch of this age.

The original key-wound verge fusee movement [chain-driven] is in excellent, bright condition, and beautifully decorated. It is signed 'Rich Lervis’ and ‘Wincanton’ and features sought after Egyptian pillars. The movement has just been cleaned by my watchmaker [who specialises in early pocket watches] and is in good working order for its age. Keys will be provided for winding and for setting the hands.

A superb collection-standard antique pocket watch; full of charm and history. Will provide an excellent financial investment as well as a possession to enjoy.