Skip to main content

Watch: PW.56 & A & B-1923

Object information

Current Location: In storage

Maker(s)

Maker: Dennis, Thomas (Kent?, C17th)
Case maker: Basely, Nathaniel

Entities

Categories

Description

Verge watch in silver pair case with protective case.

MOVEMENT: Full plate movement engraved 'Thomas Dennis Medstone'. Balance cock with pierced and engraved table having ears, foot pierced and engraved. Flat steel balance. Pierced and engraved slide plate, silver regulation dial with radial Roman numbers I to III, large domed blued steel centre. Pierced fusee iron post Blued steel case bolt, nib through dial. Potance with one side engraved, short foot, riveted to plate. Square counter-potance, one side engraved, riveted to plate. Pillar plate with four tulip pillars. Fusee and chain, tangent set-up under barrel, barrel with one lip. Verge escapement. Train planted anti-clockwise.

BRASS EDGE: Three feet, engraved around dial.

DIAL: Silver champleve, four feet. Radial 5 minute Arabic figures, ladder minute circle with inward pointing arrows at the 5 mins, radial Roman chapters with diamond shaped half hour marks, inner 1/2 hour ladder ring. Central disc with plaques at top and bottom, top plate engraved 'Thomas' and lower plaque engraved 'Dennis'.

HANDS: Blued steel tulip hour and straight minute.

INNER CASE: Silver, plain with maker's mark, incised 'NB' conjoined. Plain split bezel. The pendant is a replacement, brass stem with silver flanged pendant on top having spherical top, wide silver stirrup bow.

OUTER CASE (A): Silver, well worn low relief decoration of floral and foliage design, having engraved scenes on side at pendant and other quarters. Inside with maker's mark of incised 'NB' conjoined, as on inner case. Square hinge, loose clip.

PROTECTIVE CASE (B): Wooden halves covered with black shagreen and red clothing lining, hinge at 9 o'clock, 2 hooks and eyes at 1 and 5 o'clock.

Notes

History note: Unknown before S.G. Perceval (1838-1922)

Legal notes

Spencer George Perceval Bequest, 1922

Place(s) associated

  • Maidstone ⪼ Kent ⪼ England

Acquisition and important dates

Method of acquisition: Bequeathed (1922) by Perceval, Spencer George

Dating

17th Century#
Production date: circa AD 1690

Components of the work

Protective Case composed of shagreen ( black, covering) wood Diameter 64 mm Thickness 42.5 mm
Case Lining composed of cloth ( red)
Movement composed of iron
Dial composed of enamel
Inner And Outer Case composed of silver
Movement, Dial composed of silver
Movement, Hands composed of steel
Inner Case composed of brass (alloy) Diameter 48.75 mm Height 61.75 mm Thickness 28.5 mm
Movement (back Plate) Diameter 39 mm
Movement (pillar Plate) Diameter 40.25 mm
Movement (brass Edge) Diameter 42.5 mm
Outer Case Diameter 56.75 mm Height 65.75 mm Thickness 29.25 mm
Movement (pillar) Height 10.25 mm
Movment, Hands

Inscription or legends present

  • Text: 'Thomas Dennis Medstone'
  • Location: Movement
  • Method of creation: Engraved
  • Type: Maker's name

Inscription present: conjoined

  • Text: 'NB'
  • Location: Inner and outer case
  • Method of creation: Incised
  • Type: Maker's mark

References and bibliographic entries

Identification numbers

Accession number: PW.56 & A & B-1923
Primary reference Number: 207490
Stable URI

Audit data

Created: Wednesday 6 January 2016 Updated: Wednesday 28 March 2018 Last processed: Thursday 7 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/207490 Accessed: 2024-11-25 00:09:44

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/207490 |title=Watch |author=The Fitzwilliam Museum|accessdate=2024-11-25 00:09:44|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-207490

Sign up for updates

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