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Watch: PW.40 & A-1923

Object information

Current Location: In storage

Maker(s)

Maker: Decharmes, Simon

Entities

Categories

Description

Verge watch in copper case.

MOVEMENT: Full plate movement engraved 'Descharmes LONDON 1718'. Balance cock with table pierced and engraved, including two birds, mask at neck, foot pierced and engraved with thin edge. Brass balance. Pierced and engraved slide plate, large silver regulation dial with engraved radial Arabic figures 5 to 30. Pierced fusee iron post. Case spring with decorated flat foot, nib through dial. Potance with foot, triangular counter-potance, both riveted to plate. Pillar plate with four Egyptian pillars. Under dial scratched 'P. Tournero', 'Puseldors' (?) and 'Hoirwro' (?) Fusee and chain, tangent set-up under barrel, barrel with one lip. Verge escapement. Train planted anti-clockwise.

BRASS EDGE: Gilt, three feet, date ring under dial driven from four pin pinion on 'split' fusee arbour. Intermediate wheel missing.

DIAL: Silver champleve. Radial Arabic 5 minute figures on polished cushions, ladder minute ring, radial Roman chapters with spire head 1/2 hour marks. Separate sunk dial centre with two winged cherubs above, and below, in cartouche, engraved 'DeCharmes LO ON' with hole to view date ring between 'LO' and 'ON'. This appears to be an afterthought, as the hole for reading it has been cut, after engraving, through the maker's name on the little tablet below the centre of the dial. However, this may be intentional.

HAND: Blued steel beetle hour only. Replacement as boss cut.

CASE: Copper case in general form of the outer case of an 18th century pair cased watch, with late 18th century pendant. The watch movement fitted in the front with no glass or bezel over the dial.

SEALS (A): Three associated seals:
1) Cut steel swivel seal, vase on one side and profile of man on other.
2) Steel seal, cut with profile of man and crude initials 'P A'.
3) Steel bed hook pivoted in plain steel case.

Notes

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

Legal notes

Spencer George Perceval Bequest, 1922

Place(s) associated

  • London ⪼ England

Acquisition and important dates

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

Dating

18th Century
Production date: circa AD 1710 : movement circa 1710, case circa 1900

Components of the work

Movement composed of iron brass (alloy)
Brass Edge composed of gilt
Case composed of copper Diameter 62 mm Height 74 mm Thickness 36.5 mm
Movement, Dial composed of silver
Hour Hand composed of steel
Movement (back Plate) Diameter 39.75 mm
Movement (pillar Plate) Diameter 41.5 mm
Movement (brass Edge) Diameter 43.75 mm
Movement (pillar) Height 9.25 mm
Dial

Inscription or legends present

  • Text: 'Descharmes LONDON 1718'
  • Location: Movement
  • Method of creation: Engraved
  • Type: Maker's name
  • Text: 'P. Tournero', 'Puseldors' (?) and 'Hoirwro' (?)
  • Location: Movement
  • Method of creation: Scratched
  • Type: Mark

References and bibliographic entries

Identification numbers

Accession number: PW.40 & A-1923
Primary reference Number: 207309
Stable URI

Audit data

Created: Thursday 10 December 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://data.fitzmuseum.cam.ac.uk/id/object/207309 Accessed: 2024-12-23 04:11:35

Citation for Wikipedia

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

{{cite web|url=https://data.fitzmuseum.cam.ac.uk/id/object/207309 |title=Watch |author=The Fitzwilliam Museum|accessdate=2024-12-23 04:11:35|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://data.fitzmuseum.cam.ac.uk/api/v1/objects/object-207309

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