Old World Craftsmanship

[Alcan]

A few years ago I became involved in the repair and restoration of this pocket watch belonging to a friend. It had been passed down from his great, great, (maybe 3 greats) uncle, who'd been a British sea captain. The problem arose one morning when he awoke to find his 5 year old grandson playing junior horologist with the watch in a million pieces on the thick carpet living room floor. Three gears were never found. It took me 6 months to find someone to take on the repair, a Brit living in Belgium, and another 6 months for him to cut the new wheels, overhaul the movement, and ship it back.

Here is what an old English verge fusee pocket watch looks like, up close and personal. The hallmarks on this chain drive fusee watch are from 1762, and all components were hand made. It took a master watchmaker the best part of a year to make one and was why only the elite of the day (or sea captains in this case) had them.

When we viewed the macro pix which one of my colleagues had offered to take, we then realized just how much work had gone into the fabrication of this exceptional timepiece.

The engraved 2 birds and the lady's smiling face can be easily seen on the rear plate in the hi-res pix. Not bad for 1762, huh?