British Watch & Clockmaking Company / W. Wagstaff Watch Movement Ébauche and Dial
Record status
Individual type · partial
Period
1842-1845
This object is a lever watch movement ébauche accompanied by a white enamel dial, preserved in the British Museum under registration number 1991,1201.4. Catalogued with a production date of 1842 to 1845 in London, the piece is credited to the British Watch & Clockmaking Company and W.
Wagstaff. The movement is documented as a three-quarter-plate layout with a fusee, Harrison's maintaining power, and a ratchet-tooth lever escapement. The flat white enamel dial features black Roman numerals I–XII, an outer minute track, and a sunk subsidiary seconds dial numbered 10 to 60, signed below XII 'W. WAGSTAFF. ISLINGTON LONDON 6785'.
Evidence at a glance
- Linked sources
- 1
- Photograph views
- 1
- Catalogue references
- 0
Counts describe this entry’s documentation, not authenticity, rarity or completeness. Photographs may show one specimen; check each caption and licence.
Technical characteristics
- Type
- Lever watch movement ébauche and dial
- Makers
- British Watch & Clockmaking Company; W Wagstaff
- Escapement
- Ratchet-tooth lever
- Museum Number
- 1991,1201.4
- Dial Signature
- W. WAGSTAFF. ISLINGTON LONDON 6785
- Place recorded
- United Kingdom
- Production Date
- 1842-1845
- Acquisition Source
- David Penney
- Maker / attribution
- British Watch & Clockmaking Company
Design
- Visible features
- • White enamel circular dial with black Roman hour numerals from I to XII and an outer track with diamond markers at five-minute intervals. • Sunken subsidiary seconds dial situated above 6 o'clock marked with Arabic numerals at 10-second increments up to 60. • Arbors at the centre and subdial remain devoid of hands. • Text inscription beneath XII reads 'W. WAGSTAFF . ISLINGTON' over 'LONDON' over '6785'.
- Identity and Construction
- This object is an unfinished three-quarter-plate lever watch movement ébauche. The assembly features a four-turn fusee with Harrison's maintaining power and a ratchet-tooth lever escapement. The back plate, measuring 39.80 mm in diameter, is supported by three turned pillars. The front plate is flanged and recessed to provide a dial seat. Internal machining includes recesses for the center, escape wheels, and pallets, with specific bridges for the fusee, third/fourth wheels, and escapement. A separate cock for the balance and a combined cock for the pallets and escape wheel are installed.
- Dial and Visual Description
- The movement is accompanied by a 42 mm white enamel dial featuring Roman hour numerals I-XII and a sunk subsidiary seconds dial. The dial is signed 'W. WAGSTAFF. ISLINGTON LONDON 6785'. The hands are not fitted, the dial feet lack pin holes, and the center hole is described as too small to pass over the hour-wheel pipe.
- Mechanism and Escapement Details
- The escapement follows an obtuse-angle layout, utilizing a short lever, single roller, and D-shaped impulse pin. The steel escape wheel features three crossings and 15 teeth. The uncut bimetallic balance is equipped with timing and quarter screws but lacks a balance spring. Jewelling is present from the fourth wheel onwards. The movement is key-wound and exhibits a beat rate of 16,200.
Identification
- Serial number
- 6785
- Source note
- Facts transcribed from the linked source listing or collection record. Attribution and specifications are source-reported and have not been independently authenticated.
Catalogue references
No catalogue numbers recorded. Numbers are only published once transcribed from a verified edition of a standard catalogue — they are never inferred.
Research required
- Research required: The movement plates and mechanism are not visible in the provided photograph.
- Research required: Curator manuscript notes mention a divergent date of 'circa 1875' alongside the catalogue entry's 1842–1845 range.