Fine English 18K gold half hunting cased lever watch Circa 1902

Gold half hunter
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A fine English 18 carat gold half hunting cased lever pocket watch, circa 1902. ¾ Plate movement, a carrousel according to Bahne Bonniksen with 52.5 minutes rotation time, gold screw compensation balance. White enamel dial with Roman hours, outer minute divisions and subsidiary seconds at 6 o’clock. Plain case, the front with radial black Roman hours and inner minute divisions, case maker’s mark AF. Dial, movement and case numbered, dial, movement and case with matching numbers, the movement signed and numbered.
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Diameter: 52 mm
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Weight: 135 g
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Signed: Bahne Bonniksen – Johnson, Walker and Tolhurst Ltd 80 Aldergate St and 172 New Bond St W. London
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The carrousel according to Bahne Bonniksen was awarded in 1902 with the Kew A Certificate ‘Especially good 85.9 Marks’.
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Carrousel watches are designed by the Danish watchmaker Bahne Bonniksen, who registered the patent in 1892 in England. His intention was to create a compromise between the expensive tourbillon and a normal chronometer and he actually achieved better results with his carrousel than some of the tourbillons.
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An enquiry with the British Horological Institute in 2000 regarding the history of this timepiece showed that the movement of the watch was most likely made by Bahne Bonniksen himself. It was then delivered to A.E. Friedlander in Coventry, England, who finished and adjusted it before selling it to Johnson, Walker & Tolhurst in London. The British Horological Institute also confirmed that the revolving pendant of the watch actually was an anti-theft device. Supposedly thieves usually twisted off the bow with the chain to steal a watch, which was impossible if the pendant was revolving.
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Johnson, Walker and Tolhurst Ltd. Dealer in antique & modern jewellery and silver. Established in 1849.