Watch and case
Record status
Individual type · partial
Period
ca. 1685
This object is a pair-cased pocket watch dating to around 1685, featuring an inner case and dial fabricated from silver, housed within an outer protective case made of tortoiseshell. The outer tortoiseshell case is decorated with silver piqué work and displays the arms of the Strickland family. The silver dial features Roman numerals for the hours alongside an engraved circular centre.
The London-made movement is numbered 281 and includes a balance spring mechanism. The movement is attributed to watchmaker Richard Colston, while the unhallmarked silver case was created by the London casemaker Nathaniel Delander. The dual-case construction, utilizing an inner casing alongside a decorative outer protective shell, follows characteristic late seventeenth-century London watch design.
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.
Historical context
Watches equipped with balance springs, introduced following Christiaan Huygens's 1675 invention, improved timekeeping capability to within five minutes a day. The crescent on the chevron in the Strickland family arms on the outer case denotes ownership by a second son. The watch movement was created by Richard Colston, who became a Freeman of the Clockmakers' Company in 1682, while the case was supplied by Nathaniel Delander.
Physical characteristics
- Material
- Inner case and dial of silver; outer case of tortoiseshell, decorated in silver piqué work
Identification
- Source note
- Transcribed from the Victoria and Albert Museum collection record for this single object; how far it represents a wider collectible type has not been independently verified.
- Museum object name
- Watch and case
- Museum object number
- 635:1, 2-1864
Catalogue references
No catalogue numbers recorded. Numbers are only published once transcribed from a verified edition of a standard catalogue — they are never inferred.