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Watch: M/P.54-1913

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Current Location: In storage

Maker(s)

Maker: Champenois, Raymond

Entities

Categories

Description

Verge silver watch in skull-shaped case.

MOVEMENT: Full plate movement engraved 'Champenois A Paris'. Balance cock with pierced and engraved oval table and foot. Steel balance. Set up endless screw with silver dial over brass worm wheel, having radial Arabic numbers 1 to 6. Blued steel worm brackets with trellis feet and index. Rectangular fusee iron post, lyre shape on end. Blued steel case bolt with spring having vertical decorative foot. Rectangular potance with engraved side riveted to top plate. Counter potance rectangular with foot screwed to top plate. Pillar plate with four turned baluster pillars. Dial side engraved around dial. Split gut fusee, endless screw set-up on back plate, barrel with two lips at end. Verge escapement. Train, three pinions, planted anti-clockwise.

DIAL: White enamel in sink in gold plate with counter enamel. Radial Roman chapters with half-hour lines. Ladders quarters ring. Small central decoration around thin central gold ring.

HAND: Blued steel hour hand, sword shaped.

CASE: Silver in the form of a skull. Lower jaw opening to reveal dial, plain inside. Inside body (cranium) has hammer marks. Bow ring double where soldered to cranium. No marks.

Notes

History note: Unknown before Frank Gray Smart, Bredbury, Tunbridge Wells

Legal notes

F.G. Smart Bequest

Acquisition and important dates

Method of acquisition: Bequeathed (1913-06-05) by Smart, Frank Gray

Dating

17th Century
Production date: circa AD 1670

Components of the work

Dial composed of enamel gold
Fusee composed of gut
Movement composed of silver steel brass (alloy)
Case composed of silver Depth 33.25 mm Height 42 mm Width 27.5 mm
Hand composed of steel
Movement (dial) Diameter 21.25 mm
Movement (top Plate) Diameter 22 mm
Movement (pillar Plate) Diameter 23.5 mm
Movement (pillar) Height 6 mm
Movement, Hand

Inscription or legends present

  • Text: Champenois A Paris
  • Location: On movement
  • Method of creation: Engraved
  • Type: Inscription

References and bibliographic entries

Related exhibitions

Identification numbers

Accession number: M/P.54-1913
Primary reference Number: 200549

Audit data

Created: Tuesday 10 February 2015 Updated: Wednesday 20 November 2024

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 (2025) "Watch" Web page available at: https://data.fitzmuseum.cam.ac.uk/id/object/200549 Accessed: 2025-12-05 10:17:30

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{{cite web|url=https://data.fitzmuseum.cam.ac.uk/id/object/200549 |title=Watch |author=The Fitzwilliam Museum|accessdate=2025-12-05 10:17:30|publisher=The University of Cambridge}}

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