DESCRIPTION:
EPW - John Sharp, No. 20 Tower Street, London, duplex fusee doctor's watch with center-seconds and hacking function, 65mm, gilt OF original pair cases, inner with incuse "W M" marking below star for William Mean, outer containing paper for C Yonge & Son of London, signed white enamel dial, hacking slide under lower right of dial, KWKS, duplex escapement with ruby locking roller, gilt mvt with pierced and foliate scrolled balance cock with a small bust at its neck, gilt locking dust-cap, no visible mvt s#. An interesting large sized example; John Sharp is listed in Brian Loomes' "Watchmakers and Clockmakers of the World" as active between 1785 and 1811, and our consignor notes that he was at the No. 20 Tower Street address between 1794 and 1808.
CONDITION:
Mvt: Running though seconds-hand with tendency to stall from contact with setting arbor or from contact with underside of crystal and this interference of seconds-hand is occasionally stopping watch, overhaul needed to clear seconds-hand motion, good hacking function, excellent cosmetic mvt condition overall, some typical fine to micro-fine scratches, mvt release latch is missing its thumbnail catch which is necessitating use of a small tool to depress latch to swing mvt out from case; dial with vertical fine scratch right of "London," very faint trace to dial glaze of a script letter "g" right of center which was perhaps once overpainted on dial surface; fine hands, hour with gilt loss; outer case shows ample wear, few nicks or small dings to rear perimeter, profuse gilt loss to rear with only thin sliver remaining at perimeter, ample gilt loss to bezel with large majority lost to lower portion, button latch with good function though button with some looseness or play to latch, outer case leaving gap to its upper portion when closed; inner case shows light wear, slight very shallow denting to right perimeter of rear, scattered areas of gilt loss; bow pivots freely; good domed bull's-eye glass crystal with few very small fine scratches.
ESTIMATE:
$800
-
$1600
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