Gold and enamel half-quarter repeater watch by Brockbanks
Record status
Individual type · partial
Period
1812
This gold pocket watch with half-quarter repeating was produced by Brockbanks in London and is hallmarked for 1812. The movement is signed 'Brockbanks London No 700' and features a jewelled mechanism with a spring detent escapement, a free-sprung helical balance spring, and a three-arm compensation balance with sliding weights clamped by tangential screws.
Striking on two gongs, it is housed within a four-coloured gold hunter case adorned with chiselled floral ornament and engine turning, bearing maker's mark WM. The source reports an engine-turned gold dial finished with translucent red enamel, a grey-blue enamelled hour ring, and subsidiary seconds.
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
- Date
- 1812
- Type
- Half-quarter repeater pocket watch
- Maker
- Brockbanks
- Escapement
- Spring detent escapement
- Place recorded
- United Kingdom
- Movement Number
- No 700
- Case Maker's Mark
- WM
- Maker / attribution
- Brockbanks
- Repeating Mechanism
- Half-quarter repeater striking on two gongs
Design
- Visible features
- • Open dual-hinged gold hunter case revealing the movement plate and inner polished case backs • Engraved balance cock fitted with a central endstone jewel over the balance assembly • Visible engraved script inscription including 'Brockbanks' and number '700' along the plate perimeter • Blued steel screws securing balance components and movement plate structures • Three-arm balance assembly with adjustable sliding weights and tangential clamping screws • Fine engine-turned banding visible on the case rims
- Identity and Provenance
- This pocket watch is an 1812 London creation bearing the movement signature 'Brockbanks London No 700'. The movement is hallmarked for 1812, and the number 700 appears on both the movement and the inside of the case. The watch previously formed part of the collection of the Reverend Henry Nelthropp, who later donated it to the museum of the Worshipful Company of Clockmakers. Within the collection, it is recorded under Clockmakers' Museum No. 440.
- Dial and Movement Details
- According to the source documentation, the gold dial possesses an engine-turned centre covered with translucent red enamel, an hour ring enamelled in grey-blue, a subsidiary seconds dial, and gold wavy hands. The dial itself is not visible in the provided movement-side photograph. The movement features jewelling, a half-quarter repeater striking on two gongs, and a spring detent escapement fitted with a steel escape wheel. Visibly confirmed details include an engraved balance cock with a central endstone jewel, blued steel screws, and a three-arm compensation balance with sliding weights clamped by tangential screws, paired according to the source with a free-sprung helical spring.
- Case Construction and Decorative Work
- The watch is housed in a four-coloured gold hunter case decorated with chiselled floral ornament. Opening the cover over the dial is achieved by moving a steel nib sideways. The source describes the inner case as having complicated engine-turning and being hallmarked and stamped inside with maker's mark WM and the number 700. Direct photographic observation of the opened hunter case reveals a dual-hinged construction, polished inner surfaces, and fine engine-turned banding on the rims.
Identification
- Serial number
- 700
- 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 dial and exterior floral case chasing are not visible in this photograph.
- Research required: Mechanism details like the spring detent escapement and repeating gongs are largely obscured or internal.