Skip to main content

Watch: M.106 & A & B-1961

Object information

Current Location: In storage

Maker(s)

Watchmaker: Prior, George
Case maker: Richards, James (case maker)

Entities

Categories

Description

MOVEMENT: Full plate movement engraved on slide plate 'George Prior, LONDON No. 26631'. Balance cock, table pierced and engraved, urn engraved at neck. End stone in blue steel setting with two polished steel screws, foot pierced and engraved. Polished steel balance. Applied plate pierced and engraved, solid portion over fusee engraved with name, silver regulation dial with Turkish numbers. Turned fusee iron post. Case bolt in slot in brass edge, nib in brass edge. Potance with short foot with moulded end. Rectangular counter-potance. Plain striking barrel, polished steel hammers. Pillar plate with four turned pillars. Third wheel recessed. Fusee and chain, barrel with one lip, set-up click under barrel. Verge escapement. Train planted clockwise. Five wheel striking train with depthing pinion. Train planted anti-clockwise.

STRIKING MECHANISM: Rack quarter striking. Five turn stop on striking winding, striking star on second arbour.

BRASS EDGE: Screwed to pillar plate, under dial. Strike/silent slot at 3 o'clock.

EDGE CAP: Gilt brass moulded edge cap, slots for hammers and strike/silent lever.

DIAL: White enamel on copper, fixed by two rectangular feet, one with screw, the other with pin in the foot. Plain counter enamel. Radial Turkish 5 minute figures, dot minute ring between lines, radial Turkish chapters, half hour marks, inner line, centre with lettering. In line, 'GEORGE, PRIOR' under '12' and 'LONDON' above '6'.

HANDS: Brass, pierced swell and heart ends.

BELL: Two winding holes, outside scratched '382'.

INNER CASE: Silver, pierced and engraved edge, back bright cut with music trophy. London Assay marks 1798 with Duty mark. Maker's mark, incuse 'IR' with pellet between, under a possibly later triangular outline. Bezel engraved with small semi-circular patterns. Plain pendant, two rings around top, stirrup-shaped bows with ends cut as leaf.

OUTER CASE (A): Silver, bezel pierced and engraved, back with edge pierced and engraved. Back engraved with what may be a later trophy of war. Back assayed as inner, maker's mark incuse 'IR' with pellet between.

PROTECTIVE CASE (B): Silver opening and bezel opening. Bezel with brass body with eight pierced panels covered in silver, pierced and engraved panels with green fish skin between with silver pin crescent patterns. Body with brass back with eight shaped pierced panels, covered with silver panels, the rest covered with green fish skin with silver pin patterns between pierced segments.

Legal notes

Louis Colville Grey Clarke Bequest

Place(s) associated

  • London ⪼ England

Acquisition and important dates

Method of acquisition: Bequeathed (1961) by Clarke, Louis Colville Gray

Dating

18th Century
Production date: AD 1798 : hallmark

Components of the work

Edge Cap composed of gilt brass
Outer Case composed of fish skin
Movement composed of iron steel
Dial composed of enamel copper
Movement, Cases composed of silver
Hands composed of brass (alloy)
Case (outer) Diameter 115 mm Height 133 mm Thickness 41 mm
Case (protective) Diameter 135 mm Height 143 mm Thickness 44 mm
Movement (top Plate) Diameter 72.25 mm
Movement (pillar Plate) Diameter 77 mm
Bell Diameter 85 mm Height 19 mm
Movement (brass Edge) Diameter 86.25 mm
Case (inside) Diameter 95 mm Height 125 mm Thickness 40 mm
Movement (pillar) Height 9.5 mm

Inscription or legends present

  • Text: 'George Prior, LONDON No. 26631'
  • Type: Maker's name
  • Text: '382'
  • Location: Bell
  • Method of creation: Scratched
  • Type: Number
  • Text: London 1798
  • Location: Inner and outer case
  • Type: Assay mark
  • Location: Inner case
  • Type: Duty mark
  • Text: incuse 'IR' with pellet between
  • Location: Inner and outer case
  • Type: Maker's mark

Identification numbers

Accession number: M.106 & A & B-1961
Primary reference Number: 201792
K11757
T993
Stable URI

Audit data

Created: Tuesday 9 June 2015 Updated: Wednesday 28 March 2018 Last processed: Friday 8 December 2023

Associated departments & institutions

Owner or interested party: The Fitzwilliam Museum
Associated department: Applied Arts

Citation for print

This record can be cited in the Harvard Bibliographic style using the text below:

The Fitzwilliam Museum (2024) "Watch" Web page available at: https://collection.beta.fitz.ms/id/object/201792 Accessed: 2024-12-18 18:42:07

Citation for Wikipedia

To cite this record on Wikipedia you can use this code snippet:

{{cite web|url=https://collection.beta.fitz.ms/id/object/201792 |title=Watch |author=The Fitzwilliam Museum|accessdate=2024-12-18 18:42:07|publisher=The University of Cambridge}}

API call for this record

To call these data via our API (remember this needs to be authenticated) you can use this code snippet:

https://collection.beta.fitz.ms/api/v1/objects/object-201792

Sign up for updates

Updates about future exhibitions and displays, family activities, virtual events & news. You'll be the first to know...