Important English gold consular cased early lever Circa 1785

Important gold early lever watch with stop slide
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An important English gold consular cased early lever watch with stop slide, circa 1785, gilded full plate movement, two plane lever escapement with jewelled pallets and impulse, escape wheel with slotted teeth, the balance in the style of Arnold’s ‘double S’ with two brass arms, two gold timing screws, two bimetallic compensation affixes each with gold adjusting screw, blued steel helical spring, decoratively engraved balance bridge, diamond endstone, fusee and chain with Harrison’s maintaining power, turned pillars, movement stop slide beneath the bezel between 5 and 6 o’clock, gilt metal dust cap with secret release catch below pendant to the front bezel, movement signed Josiah Emery, Charing Cross, London, dust cap signed and numbered.
White enamel regulator type dial, hour dial to the top with seconds dial beneath, outer minute ring, blued steel hands, dial signed Emery London.
Plain gold consular case, maker’s mark VW incuse for Valentine Walker, with later wooden deck box and with agate set key with short chain.
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Diameter: 61 mm
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Signed: Josiah Emery Charing Cross London
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Josiah Emery was born in Etagnieres, Switzerland in 1725 and later settled in London at 33 Cockspur Street. He is best known as a pioneer of the lever escapement and followed Thomas Mudge as the second maker of lever watches, deriving inspiration directly from Mudge’s in-line lever escapement model, but to his own design. Count von Bruhl, Ambassador to Great Britain for the Court of Saxony and Thomas Mudge’s steadfast patron and friend, encouraged Josiah Emery to make a number of lever watches. Although Mudge conceived the idea of the lever escapement in 1754, it was not until 1770 that he presented his first watch with the escapement to King George III, and it was only 11 years after this, in 1781, that Emery began work on his own lever watches. Emery continued to work on his lever watches for the rest of his life.