John Walker silver key-wound pocket watch
Record status
Individual type · partial
Period
c. 1887 / case 1913
This open-face pocket watch features a white enamel dial signed 'John Walker, 20620' with black Roman numerals, blued steel hands, and a subsidiary seconds dial at 6 o'clock.
The dealer reports a gilt full-plate going barrel movement with a lever escapement and a gilt dust cap, signed 'J Walker, 77. Cornhill and 230 Regent St, London' and numbered 20620. Housed in a silver case with coin-edged sides, engine turning, and Birmingham hallmarks reported for 1913, the watch is key wound and key set.
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
- Key-wound open-face pocket watch
- Dimensions
- 48mm x 18mm
- Case hallmarks
- Birmingham 1913
- Dial signature
- John Walker, 20620
- Place recorded
- United Kingdom
- Case decoration
- Coin edged sides, engine turning and a cross on the crest on the back
- Movement number
- 20620
- Movement signature
- J Walker, 77. Cornhill and 230 Regent St, London
- Maker / attribution
- John Walker
Design
- Visible features
- • White enamel dial signed 'JOHN WALKER / 20620' below 12 o'clock. • Black Roman numeral hour markers with an outer railway minute track. • Blued steel spade hands and subsidiary seconds dial positioned at 6 o'clock. • Coin-edge reeding visible along the edge of the silver case band. • Circular bow attached to a rounded pendant at the 12 o'clock position.
- Dial and Visual Presentation
- The pocket watch displays a white enamel dial with black Roman numerals and an outer railway minute track. It is signed 'JOHN WALKER / 20620' below the 12 o'clock position and is fitted with blued steel spade hands and a subsidiary seconds register at 6 o'clock. The case features coin-edge reeding along its band, with a circular bow affixed to a rounded pendant at 12 o'clock. The seller reports that the dial has 'a hairlines from the centre to the 11' and is covered by a 'plastic glass which has some marks.'
- Dating and Source Discrepancies
- There is an unresolved chronological discrepancy in the listing between the headline date and the reported hallmarks. The listing title dates the watch to 'c1887' and assigns it to the Victorian period (1837 to 1901), yet the silver case is explicitly stated to bear 'hallmarks for Birmingham 1913'. Because only a front dial photograph is provided, internal details—including the dust cap, movement signature, hallmark stamps, and the seller's condition assessment of the movement as 'very dirty'—remain unverified by visual evidence in the record.
- Reported Movement and Casing Construction
- According to the dealer description, the watch contains a 'gilt full plate going barrel movement' with a 'lever escapement' and a gilt dust cap. The movement is reported to be signed 'J Walker, 77. Cornhill and 230 Regent St, London' and numbered '# 20620'. The silver case measures 48mm by 18mm and is constructed with a 'hinged back and bezel', where the assembly 'swings out from the front also.' The piece is key-wound from the back and key-set from the front, with the case back described as featuring engine turning and 'a cross on the crest on the back.'
Identification
- Serial number
- 20620
- 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: Dealer listing title suggests circa 1887, whereas case hallmarks are stated to date to Birmingham 1913.
- Research required: Movement, dust cap, and case interior are not visible in the supplied photograph.
- Research required: Source reports a hairline crack running from dial center toward 11 o'clock and marks on the plastic glass.