An English sterling silver pair cased Keywind fusee verge pocket watch with Outer case, the movement marked James Mew / London / Serial no. 5220, the case hallmarked Wb / London /, circa 1759, with an enamelled Roman numeral dial and arcaded Arabic seconds, the movement with a gilt wash and filigree decoration, (hairlines and losses to the dial, damage to the hinge of the pair case and the travelling case), the dial 37 mm diameter
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- 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.
- Filigree Work - Decorative Arts - Delicate decorations using fine threads of ceramics, glass or other materials to give a lace-like effect, attached together and applied as an ornament.
- 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.
- Movement - The technical name for the workings of a clock or watch, and does not include the dial or case.
- Sterling Silver - Sterling silver is a mixture of 92.5% pure silver and 7.5% of another metal, usually copper. Fine silver is 99.9% pure silver, and is relatively soft and the addition of the very small amount of copper gives the metal enough strength and hardness to be worked into jewellery, decorative and household objects.
- 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Use of the fusee in clocks was superseded by the "going barrel" in the mid 19th century and for pocket watches at the beginning of the 19th century.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.
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