English gold half-hunting cased power reserve lever watch Circa 1869

Gold precision watch by Reid & Sons
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An English 18 carat gold half-hunting cased 30-hour power reserve precision pocket watch, circa 1869. 2/3 Plate movement, an English lever escapement, gold screw compensation balance and free-sprung blued balance spring. White enamel dial with Roman hours, outer minute divisions, subsidiary seconds at 6 o’clock, power reserve indication at 12 and spade & whip hands. The plain case with maker’s mark FT for Frederick Thoms. Dial signed, movement signed and numbered.
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Diameter: 53 mm
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Weight: 139 g
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Signed: By appointment to Her Majesty & H.R.H. the Prince of Wales Reid & Sons Newcastle-on-Tyne
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The silversmith and watchmaking company Reid & Sons, which has been in existence for more than 240 years, was founded by Christian Ker Reid in Newcastle-on-Tyne in 1788. It still operates today as part of the Goldsmiths Group. The company’s most notable commissions include the Football Association Challenge Cup, the Rugby League Trophy and a chronometer once carried by Ernest Shackleton on his exploratory voyages to Antarctica. Various Reid & Sons timepieces are in the collection of the Science Museum in London and the collection of the National Maritime Museum in Greenwich London.