Nice English center seconds fusee

[model1857guy]

Received this today. A nice center seconds fusee.

Movement is marked:

W. Housley
Flowery Fields, Hyde

Appears to be a 9 jewel movement. Nice easily accessible hacking lever.

Case hallmark looks to be for London 1865. The HH case maker I believe to be Henry Harris, Clerkenwell registered 1859

 

[model1857guy]

Actually on closer examination it looks to be HB, so I think it might actually be

Henry Buckland, Coventry

the fusee is jeweled on both ends so not a 9 jewel movement but rather a 10 jewel movement.

 

[SpringDriven]

That is a nice watch! I bet like you, the original owner was to the moon and back when he first picked that watch up!

 

[gmorse]

Hi model1857guy,

Case hallmark looks to be for London 1865. The HH case maker I believe to be Henry Harris, Clerkenwell registered 1859

Actually on closer examination it looks to be HB, so I think it might actually be
Henry Buckland, Coventry

Yes, I think you're right about Buckland, who's listed in Priestley as a sponsor for Rotherhams in Coventry, so it's a fair bet that they made the movement as well.

Many of these watches, often marked as 'chronograph', were made in Coventry, and of course, they aren't true chronographs, with the facility to start, stop and reset to zero without affecting the running of the time train. This is a handsome example and appears to be in good condition, apart from some oil staining on the top plate, which may suggest some careless servicing in the past, but should clean up well enough.

Regards,

Graham

 

[John Matthews]

Buckland, who's listed in Priestley as a sponsor for Rotherhams in Coventry

Graham - I agree this almost certainly is a Rotherhams movement.

I believe Buckland was a case maker and not what the term sponsor implies. Culme records that he had a workshop at Mr Rotherhams in Spon Lane. It is my believe that Rotherhams provided space for case makers on their premises. Henry Buckland also registered his mark from his own address (35 Moat Street, Coventry) with the Birmingham Assay Office on 20 March, 1863.

John

 

[gmorse]

Hi John,

This view of the nature Buckland's relationship with Rotherhams does seem attractive, since it's quite common to find Rotherham's own marks in watch cases of their manufacture.

Regards,

Graham

 

[John Matthews]

A couple of further observations.

The pendant has I believe the Birmingham assay date letter (Q) for the same year, together with the pendant maker's mark TB for Thomas Bickley, also of Spon Lane, Coventry.

I believe this is a relatively early example of the type, with the dial seconds graduation 0 - 60, rather than 0 - 300, as became more common later in the C19th. I have seen another 3/4 plate example, signed Rotherhams, with a similarly calibrated dial from the mid 1870's. I find the dial of this example particularly pleasing. The stop lever at the 4 o'clock position is relatively naive, whereas later examples are operated by a sliding button.

John

 

[SKennedy]

I agree, an attractive dial. I wonder if the centre section started life as a normal dial intended for a smaller watch before being incorporated into this sunk centre by the dial maker?

I would make the jewel count eight, or perhaps nine. Seven on the balance/escapement then that forth wheel jewel in the centre is eight, and if the other pivot of that arbor has one it would be nine. The fusee is almost certainly in hard brass/bronze settings rather than jewels.

 

[model1857guy]

Hi model1857guy,




Yes, I think you're right about Buckland, who's listed in Priestley as a sponsor for Rotherhams in Coventry, so it's a fair bet that they made the movement as well.

Many of these watches, often marked as 'chronograph', were made in Coventry, and of course, they aren't true chronographs, with the facility to start, stop and reset to zero without affecting the running of the time train. This is a handsome example and appears to be in good condition, apart from some oil staining on the top plate, which may suggest some careless servicing in the past, but should clean up well enough.

Regards,

Graham

Thanks for all the info. Its really clean internally, but I definitely agree somebody went overboard with oiling. Keeping time well so it should clean up nicely. I'm getting 14,400 BPH is that typical for these? I was expecting something more like 16,200. But its keeping time zero loss or gain in the first 20 hours.

 

[model1857guy]

I agree, an attractive dial. I wonder if the centre section started life as a normal dial intended for a smaller watch before being incorporated into this sunk centre by the dial maker?

I would make the jewel count eight, or perhaps nine. Seven on the balance/escapement then that forth wheel jewel in the centre is eight, and if the other pivot of that arbor has one it would be nine. The fusee is almost certainly in hard brass/bronze settings rather than jewels.

I wondered that about the dial, all the other center seconds in my collection have a blank sunk center with the hour markers on the outer ring and fitted with longer hands. This is the only one I've encountered so far with the hour markers in the sunk center.

On the jeweling its definitely 10. The center wheel is jeweled on both ends as is the fusee.

 

[gmorse]

Hi model1857guy,

I'm getting 14,400 BPH is that typical for these? I was expecting something more like 16,200. But its keeping time zero loss or gain in the first 20 hours.

Yes, that's not at all unusual, it gives 4bps which tallies with the dial markings.

Regards,

Graham