Rare Benjamin Hill English Silver Pocket Watch circa 1650

A very rare silver pair cased pocket watch, maker Benjamin Hill English circa 1650 2.24 in. high, 1.97 in. diameter. A very rare silver pair cased pocket watch, maker Benjamin Hill. English circa 1650. The watch has a silver dial centred with an English Rose that would have been filled with red wax. The double ended hour hand ensures that it can be moved easily to set the time. The watch has a verge movement with fusee and gut drive, made before the invention of the balance spring. It has a tangent screw regulator. Benjamin Hill was apprenticed to Richard Child through the Blacksmiths Company for 8 years on the 3rd July 1632 and was 'sworn a free brother' of the Clockmakers Company on 30th November 1640 and was Master of the Clockmakers Company in 1657. He died early in 1670 and was buried at St Dunstan's-in-the-West, Fleet Street, London where it appears he has been Senior Churchwarden. Represented with watches in the British Museum and Victoria and Albert Museum. Illustrated Britten, and Clutton & Daniels. Noted as a fine maker. Similar watches by Benjamin Hill are illustrated in an article by Jeremy Evans in the March 2001 volume of the A H S Journal. For an extraordinary astronomical pocket watch by this maker see Sothebys London The Celebration of the English Watch Part IV, George Daniels 20th Century Innovator. 6 July 2017 Lot 3. Dimensions: 2.24 in. high, 1.97 in. diameter. Provenance: The name "Puritan" merely refers to the simplicity of the watch's appearance, in character with puritan austerity. Benjamin Hill was apprenticed to Richard Child through the Blacksmiths Company for 8 years on the 3rd July 1632 and was 'sworn a free brother' of the Clockmakers Company on 30th November 1640 and was Master of the Clockmakers Company in 1657. He died early in 1670 and was buried at St Dunstan's-in-the-West, Fleet Street, London where it appears he has been Senior Churchwarden. Represented with watches in the British Museum and Victoria and Albert Museum. Illustrated Britten, and Clutton & Daniels. Noted as a fine maker. Similar watches by Benjamin Hill are illustrated in an article by Jeremy Evans in the March 2001 volume of the A H S Journal. For an extraordinary astronomical pocket watch by this maker see Sothebys London The Celebration of the English Watch Part IV, George Daniels 20th Century Innovator. 6 July 2017 Lot 3

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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.
Movement - The technical name for the workings of a clock or watch, and does not include the dial or case.
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.
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.

This item has been included into following indexes:

pocket watches, case type
- open face, silver case 570
- pair cased 165
- silver case 905