English Silver Pocket Chronometer
Record status
Individual type · partial
Period
mid-19th century
This English pocket chronometer, dating to the mid-19th century, is housed in a silver open-face case. The watch features a white enamel dial with Roman numerals and a subsidiary seconds dial, equipped with gold hour and minute hands and a blued steel seconds hand.
The movement is a key-wound, full-plate gilt mechanism featuring a fusee and chain, Harrison’s maintaining power, and a six-spoke gear train, all supported by four pillars. The escapement is an Earnshaw spring detent type with endstones. The bimetallic compensation balance includes two weights and four adjustment screws, paired with a blued steel helical hairspring in a freesprung configuration. Additional technical features include blued steel screws and a diamond endstone set in a blue steel mount.
The movement is signed "John Archer London No 2106" and "Late Dent Chronometer Maker to the Queen".
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
- Pocket chronometer
- Escapement
- Earnshaw spring detent
- Case material
- Silver
- Movement type
- Full-plate gilt fusee
- Balance spring
- Helical blued steel
- Place recorded
- England
- Maintaining power
- Harrison's
- Maker / attribution
- TH
Design
- Case and Dial
- The watch is enclosed in a silver open-face case. The design is described as robust and simple in its construction. The dial is made of white enamel, which provides a high-contrast background for the time display. Roman numerals are used for the hour markers, complemented by a subsidiary seconds dial. Time is indicated by gold hands for the hours and minutes, while the seconds are tracked by a blued steel hand.
- Visible features
- • White enamel dial with Roman numerals • Blued steel seconds hand • Full-plate gilt movement with fusee • Bimetallic compensation balance with weights
- Signatures and History
- The movement is signed with the maker's name, 'John Archer', alongside the serial number '2106'. The signature also identifies the maker as the successor to 'Dent', a prominent chronometer maker to the Queen. The case includes a maker's mark 'TH'. The combination of these markings and the technical specifications suggests a mid-19th-century English provenance for this instrument.
- Movement and Escapement
- The movement is a gold-gilt, full-plate construction utilizing a traditional fusee and chain mechanism for constant force. The structure is built upon four pillars, with the gear train featuring six-spoke wheels. The mechanism incorporates Harrison’s maintaining power to ensure continuous operation during winding. Precision is achieved through an Earnshaw spring detent escapement fitted with endstones. The bimetallic compensation balance is equipped with two weights and four adjustment screws, working in conjunction with a blued steel helical hairspring. The assembly is described as a freesprung configuration.
Identification
- Serial number
- 2106
- 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 source attributes the watch to the mid-19th century, which is an estimate.
- Research required: The exact role of the 'TH' maker's mark on the case relative to the movement signature is not specified beyond the source's inclusion of both.