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Silver Pair-Cased Pocket Watch by Tarts, English Circa 1778

A silver pair-cased pocket watch, maker Tarts English circa 1778 1.65 in. diameter, 2.20 in. high, 2.05 in. case diameter. A silver pair-cased pocket watch, maker Tarts. English Circa 1778. Gents silver pair-cased watch. Silver dial with ornate arched chapter ring, hours in Roman. numerals in inner ring and minutes in Arabic numerals in outer ring on separate panels. Ornate. Continental style hands, signed 'Tarts' in the centre with a date aperture below. Silver repousse. outer case badly worn, with a scene of four figures around a table set with food, a dog in the. foreground. Possibly meant to be classical Grecian. The tableau is surrounded by acanthus leaf scroll work, with a foliate border. fusee drive, verge escapement. Balance cock of continental bridge type. Squared pillars, silver. adjustment disc on backplate. Signed 'Tarts, London, 1594' on backplate. The outer case is not hallmarked, the inner case bears a London hallmark for 1778. Reference: This type of watch is mentioned by Baillie, who says Tarts could be a fictitious name; the watch could have been made in Holland and the hallmark forged. It has been suggested that Tarts was a Dutch maker who came to London and who continued making watches on Continental lines. Provenance: Purchased from L Oakman of Campbelltown, New South Wales on 16/10/1967 for $220.00. Dimensions: 1.65 in. diameter, 2.20 in. high, 2.05 in. case diameter

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  • Date Aperture - A date aperture is a cut out section in the face of a watch or clock, displaying the day of the month.
  • Embossed / Repousse - Embossing, also known as repousse, is the technique of decorating metal with raised designs, by pressing or beating out the design from the reverse side of the object.It is the opposite of chasing, where the decoration is applied from the front. An embossed or repoussed object may have chasing applied to finish off the design.
  • 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.
  • 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.
  • 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.
  • 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.
  • Foliate - Decorated with leaves or leaf-like forms.
  • Acanthus - A stylized leaf motif, one of the primary decorative elements of classical Greek and Roman architecture, derived from the genus of flowering plants in the family Acanthaceae, native to tropical and subtropical regions of the Mediterranean area. It is a common element in classical Greek and Roman design, and is often seen in Corinthian and Composite order columns and used as a decorative element in English, European and Australian furniture, particularly on the curve of a leg, and as decoration for a corbel.
  • 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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A silver pair-cased pocket watch, maker Tarts English Circa…