Help identifying watch(es) 3/10

[DanielR]

Hello,
I'm looking for assistance in finding information about a small collection of pocket watches.
(please can you guys here help, there are 9 English watches and 1 American. (I've made (or will make) a thread for each watch.)
Any information on the watch (good/not good/year/place of manufacture would be greatly received (I know nothing about watches, -but would like to know about these particular ones)
If there is anything you feel is missing from the photos, (or want better/different pictures to help identify these please let me know.
(all the watches work.)

The third is the most intriguing to me, It has few markings (asides from hall marks) and a serial.
The case is hallmarked with a Q inside a cut corner rectangle. - this dates the case to 1865? (Date letters for Birmingham - Assay Office)
Again assay office is chester.
It's marked as 18ct
The case is also stamped WN. (the case maker?)


The face and movement have serial number 55330 (but, no maker indicated.)

attached to the watch is a chain,
the chain has at one end a soverign with a green stone (that is cracked) on one side, and a missing stone on the other, it also appears to have a disc on it suggesting it was presented for "services rendered at Moss Bridge auxiliary Military hospital Darwen 1914-1919)

There is some stamping I can't quite make out of get a good picture of.

The other side of the disc is engraved with an ornate JW
(I suspect I know what this is but want to hold back the information in case I'm wrong and it leads people to just agree.)

Otherwise this device is an absolute enigma, can't say who made it, or when, may have been made long before it was presented. don't know if the chain is even original to the watch or if the chain was the presentation and was placed onto a favorite watch.

 

[gmorse]

Hi Daniel,

This is another centre seconds 'chronograph', similar to your first offering, but the pictures of the case hallmarks are too blurred to be sure of interpretation. Date letters were unique to each assay office, so the lists for Chester must be consulted in this example. The letter 'Q' is for 1899/1900. The town mark for Birmingham is an anchor. The chains on pocket watches are not part of them, (with the exception of some much earlier chatelaine watches), and could have been attached at any time.

Are all these watches part of a legacy you've recently received?

Regards,

Graham

 

[John Matthews]

The movement was made in Coventry probably by Rotherhams. The hallmark is for Chester 1899/1900. The case carries the mark for William Neal, {W.N} in an oval cartouche. He was a gold watch case maker, also based in Coventry, who registered the mark at Chester 26 April, 1899.



This watch superficially looks to be in very good condition, It is unusual to find examples where the dial has survived so well. It should be serviced before being regularly used.

John

 

[DanielR]

Thankyou for all replies.
I'll try and attach better photos this evening (after work)

Are all these watches part of a legacy you've recently received?

Not me, my wife, -but sadly yes.

This watch superficially looks to be in very good condition, It is unusual to find examples where the dial has survived so well. It should be serviced before being regularly used.

The watches were her dads, and grandads, also I think her great granddads...
It's likely in good condition because it has not left her family and been stored reasonably well.
It may have not been used/worn since her great grandad (JW) died, upon which time it appears to have been stored by her Grandad, (some of the other watches are his "daily drivers") and it's only just reached the time where his collection needs to be taken out of a drawer again.

 

[Bryan Eyring]

Also a very good / desirable watch