# Verge Fusee Astronomical Pocket Watch



## James (Jul 17, 2006)

Just dropped $42,000 for this.

Yea right I wish. Just thought I would post this. Came across it on ebay during a search for a specific pocket piece. So lets document, pics and some text taken from the ebay ad. It's a gold piece from the 1700's listed at 20,000 pound. Its a really unique piece, wish it was mine.

THE DIAL INDICATIONS ---

The indications shown are:

Solar time by means of the hour hand on a 24 hour dial, the minute hand revolves once per hour as normal.

The central disc is of silver with an enamel plate beneath, which shows through an aperture the lunar indications. These are:--

The moons age, the time of the moons' southing, and the time of high water at London bridge. For the latter, a fixed wire at the six o'clock position registers with an elliptical marker at the rotating centre. The central blued steel disc depicts the globe as viewed from the north pole and shows the latitudinal and longitudinal position of London

Phases of the moon, which are shown through a hole at the edge of the disc together with the moons' age. This is shown by the retrograde motion of an enamel dial under the square aperture in the central disc, and achieved by differential gearing. The numbers of the wheelwork are the same as Ferguson's, that is the lunar wheel with 59 teeth and the solar wheel with 57 teeth working with a common pinion of 19 on the minute wheel.

The moons' position in relation to the sun is reproduced in miniature and indicated by 2 x 180 degrees on the edge of the central disc together with the aspects. These are - Opposition (180 degrees) sextile, trine and quartile.

There are markings at either side of the solar dial which show times of sunrise and sunset throughout the year together with the astrological symbols for each month. This is read against the hour hand.

There are compass points on the outer dial, North South East and West. The South is at the top, the reason being that when the moon is at its apex, it is pointing south and mirrors exactly what you see when you observe the moon.

Apart from the central dial of silver, the outer chapter ring and the lower central disc are of white enamel of very high quality and in perfect condition with no chips or cracks and absolutely no restoration. The hands are of blued steel, one of the needle indicators is of gold.

THE MOVEMENT ---

Signed Edwards, London 393 is a high quality and well made movement of large size (50mm dia.) with square pillars. It has a fusee and chain combined with robust wheelwork, and evidently made to be extremely reliable and highly resistant to the effects of wear. The verge escapement works well and the watch keeps reasonably good time as such watches will, when set up properly. This efficient design was initiated by Thomas Tompion in the late seventeenth century and developed in the eighteenth by makers such as George Graham and John Ellicott. Later escapements such as the cylinder or duplex were much more subject to wear as they needed oiling, and also were not nearly so robust.

The large steel balance is housed under a balance bridge which is beautifully pierced and engraved at the centre of which is a large diamond endstone. The slide plate which has a silver figure piece also is profusely engraved with scrolls in the manner of the period.

English watches with a balance bridge are often found to have a connection with Ellicott's workshop as many of his watches were designed for the continental market. The movement of this watch was probably supplied to Edwards by one of Ellicott's suppliers, Joseph Stevens.

Britten's list of watchmakers notes a James Edwards at 180 Fleet Street around 1790 -94. He is likely to be the retailer of this watch, as during this period Fleet Street was the centre of the scientific instrument trade in London. Interestingly enough, the Royal Society was also housed very near by.


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