John Forrest open-face silver pocket watch
Record status
Individual type · partial
Period
circa 1913
This open-face silver pocket watch features a dial signed 'Chronometer Maker to the Admiralty' above 'John Forrest, London' beneath a tree motif. The auction catalog dates the watch to circa 1913 based on a Birmingham hallmark letter date, attributing the case to maker 'W.R' of Birmingham or Coventry.
The silver case measures 59.3 mm in diameter and is fitted with a fluted or reeded bezel and band, while the source notes a taille-douce engraved case back. The white enamel dial features radial Roman numerals and a subsidiary seconds dial at 6 o'clock. According to the catalog, the watch houses a 19''' gilded brass movement with a lateral lever escapement and safety pinion.
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
- Open-face pocket watch
- Caliber
- 19’’’
- Diameter
- 59.3 mm
- Case number
- 722 581 / 42
- Case material
- Silver (0.925)
- Place recorded
- United Kingdom
- Movement number
- 722 581
- Maker / attribution
- John Forrest
Design
- Visible features
- • White enamel dial with bold black radial Roman numerals and an outer minute track. • Subsidiary seconds dial positioned at 6 o'clock. • Engraved or engine-turned reeded border along the bezel. • Central inscription reading 'CHRONOMETER MAKER TO THE ADMIRALTY' around a tree insignia and 'JOHN FORREST LONDON'. • Gilded pear-style hour hand and slender minute and seconds hands. • Fine visible hairlines on the enamel dial surface between the center and numerals.
- Dial and Case Presentation
- The watch features a white enamel dial marked with radial Roman numerals, an outer minute track, and a subsidiary seconds dial at 6 o'clock. Centered below 12 o'clock is an inscription framing a tree insignia reading 'CHRONOMETER MAKER TO THE ADMIRALTY' above 'JOHN FORREST LONDON'. Visible examination shows gilded pear-style hour indication, slender minute and seconds hands, and fine hairlines across the enamel surface between the center arbor and the numerals. The open-face case is silver with an engraved or engine-turned reeded border along the bezel. While internal and reverse surfaces are not visible in the primary photograph, catalog text records a fluted case-band, a gilded metal dust-cover, and a case back engraved in taille-douce with patterned décor around a central escutcheon.
- Reported Movement and Construction
- The movement is not visible in the provided image, but auction documentation describes a key-winding 19''' full-plate gilded brass movement featuring a going barrel, safety pinion, lateral lever escapement, cut bimetallic compensated balance, blued steel flat hairspring, engraved gilded cock, and a polished steel index-regulator. Both the dial and movement are reported as signed, with the movement cataloged under number 722 581, matching the initial number of the reported case stamping.
- Hallmarking and Condition Disclosures
- The case is documented as number 722 581 / 42, attributed to maker 'W.R' of Birmingham or Coventry with a Birmingham letter-date for 1913, providing the catalog date of circa 1913. Total weight is noted as approximately 172.2 grams. Condition disclosures provided by the auction house state that the hands are later and note hairlines as well as chipping under the bezel that is not visible when closed. An overhaul was recommended at the buyer's expense.
Identification
- Serial number
- 722 581
- 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: Movement and case back are not visible in the primary photograph; mechanism and case back descriptions rely on source catalog documentation.
- Research required: Auction catalog notes the hands are later and the dial is chipped under the bezel.