English exquisite silver pair cased verge pocket watch Circa 1695

Silver open faced pocket watch by James Markwick
–
An English exquisite silver pair cased verge pocket watch, circa 1695.
Two cases: a silver outer case with case maker’s punch mark “BL” and large lateral hinge and a silver inner case with case maker’s punch mark “BL”. Signed silver champlevé dial with Roman hours, Arabic minutes, baroque decor in the centre and blued steel “Poker & Beetle” hands. Signed firegilt full plate, keywind, movement with applied florally engraved and pierced ornaments, chain/fusee, Egyptian movement pillars, verge escapement, three-arm steel balance and very fine engraved and pierced silver balance cock with mascaron.
–
Diameter: 57 mm
–
Weight: 152 g
–
Signed: Markwick, London
–
Unusually for an English watch the ratchet for the fusee is located under the wheel rather than on the edge of the fusee cone. Few pair cases of this period were marked and numbered in the outer case. The casemaker, Richard Blundell, registered this mark in 1682 and another (BL) in 1697. James Markwick in London The son James Markwick was an eminent maker, Master of the Clockmaker’s Company in 1720 and a very early user of jewelled bearings. In later years he was in partnership with his son-in-law Robert Markham, who succeeded him using the trading name of Markwick Markham, which became famous for watches destined for the Turkish market.