Rare Silver Pair-Cased Pocket Watch by John May, Circa 1700

A rare silver pair-cased pocket watch, maker John May English…
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A rare silver pair-cased pocket watch, maker John May English circa 1700 4.8 cm diameter, 5.5 cm high, 6 cm case diameter. A rare silver pair-cased pocket watch, maker John May. English Circa 1700. silver pair-cased watch, both inner and outer cases plain, both have the case-maker's mark "HR" for Richard Hutchinson (1699). Small stirrup bow, split bezel. Silver two-piece champleve dial, the centre with applied silver scroll work and cartouche. above a gilt field. Square date aperture below the centre, gilt beetle and poker hands. Signed "May" in a cartouche above the centre and "London" in a cartouche below. There is a gilt, engraved rim on the outside of the chapter ring. Gilt rosette touch pieces on the half hours between the Roman numerals. The movement has a verge escapement, fusee and chain drive. Winged, pierced engraved. balance cock, the table decorated with a foliate pattern and centred with a rosette, mask. near the foot. The foot is similarly patterned, as is the pierced and engraved fret surrounding the regulator dial. Egyptian pillars, ornate fusee stop. Signed on the backplate "John May London.". Reference: John May was a Dutchman who worked in London. He was made a brother of the Clockmakers Company in 1692 and Britten says he died in 1738. Watches by John May are in the Metropolitan Museum of Art, movements by him are in Guildhall Museum and Science Museum South Kensington, and further watches are in the Dennison and Frill collections. A long-case clock by John May is illustrated in Clockmakers Company of London pl. XI. Provenance: Purchased by Norman Dean from Charles Allix in December 1972 for 300 pounds. Dimensions: 4.8 cm diameter, 5.5 cm high, 6 cm case diameter

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  • Circa - A Latin term meaning 'about', often used in the antique trade to give an approximate date for the piece, usually considered to be five years on either side of the circa year. Thus, circa 1900 means the piece was made about 1900, probably between 1895 and 1905. The expression is sometimes abbreviated to c.1900.
  • Bezel - On a clock or watch, the bezel is the metal frame into which the watch or clock glass is fitted. In clocks, the bezel may include a hinge and a flange, in effect a door to the face of the clock. In jewellery the bezel is a band of metal with a projecting lip that holds the gemstone in its setting.
  • Fusee - The fusee movement was used in clocks and pocket watches from the mid 17th century. The fusee is a cone shaped drum within the works that is linked to the barrel of the spring, usually by a length of chain.

    As the mainspring loses its tension over time, the cone shaped barrel compensates for this by increasing the tension, by pulling the mainspring tighter, thus ensuring the time remains constant.

    Use of the fusee in clocks was superseded by the "going barrel" in the mid 19th century and for pocket watches at the beginning of the 19th century.

    The fusee continued to be used in marine chronometers until the 1970s.
  • Pair Cased - A pair cased watch is one with a double case. The movement is encased, and for additional protection this is fitted into an outer case.
  • Foliate - Decorated with leaves or leaf-like forms.
  • Rosette - A stylised circular-shaped disk with turned or carved decoration decoration applied to a surface, or carved into the surface, especially used in ceramics, jewellery, furniture, sculpture and textiles. Also known as a boss or a paterae or patera.
  • Cartouche - An ornamental panel in the form of of a shield, oval or rectangular scroll with curling edges. It may be carved into the back of a chair or the top of a sideboard, or present on a piece of silver or jewellery, and contain the initials of the original owner, heraldic symbols, or some other inscription, such as the details of a presentation.

    In ceramics the term defines the central area of a vase or similar with a decorative border in one of the shapes above, into which a decorative scene or figures have been painted.
  • Date Aperture - A date aperture is a cut out section in the face of a watch or clock, displaying the day of the month.
  • Verge Escapement - A verge escapement is an early mechanical escapement used in clocks and other timekeeping devices. It is an early form of the escapement mechanism, which is used to regulate the movement of the hands of a clock or watch. The verge escapement consists of a vertical shaft called the verge, which is mounted on the clock's main plate. Attached to the verge are two pallets, which engage with the teeth of the escape wheel. As the escape wheel turns, the pallets alternately lock and release it, allowing the movement of the clock to be regulated. The verge escapement was widely used in early mechanical clocks, but it was eventually replaced by the more accurate and reliable anchor escapement.
  • Chapter Ring - A separate metal plate on the face of a clock, on which the numerals for the hours and sometimes parts of the hours, are displayed, usually wheel shaped and sitting on top of the dial plate. The chapter ring is often a feature of the clock and can be silvered or enamelled to stand as a contrast to its background. The hours are usually shown in Roman numerals, although in the late 19th and earlt 20th century, Arabic numerals became fashionable.
  • Back Plate - On many types of clocks, the movement operates between two plates, usually made of brass, one at the back, and the other at the front, which forms a mount for the dial.

    On English bracket, mantle and table clocks the backplate was often visible through a glass door or panel from the late 17th century, and could be profusely engraved with scrolling decorations, flowers, foliage, birds, and figures. The engraving could also include the maker?s name.

    The amount of engraving reduced and became simpler as the 18th century progressed, and by 1800, had been reduced to a border, often with the maker's name in the centre. By the early 1800s all decoration had ceased, and only the maker's name was added, and by the Victorian era, most bracket, mantle and table clocks had no engraving.
  • Movement - The technical name for the workings of a clock or watch, and does not include the dial or case.

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