English 18 carat gold chronometer with power reserve Circa 1875

Gold pocket chronometer with up-and-down indication and gold chain
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A fine English gold hunting cased keyless pocket chronometer with up-and-down indication, duo-in-uno balance spring, and gold chain, circa 1875. Gilded half-plate movement, spring detent escapement, freesprung bimetallic compensation balance, blued steel duo-in-uno balance spring, fusee and chain, signed A.P. Walsh, 5 George St, Euston Road, London.
White enamel dial, Roman numerals, outer minute ring, subsidiary dial for up-and-down below 12 o’clock for the state of wind indication, subsidiary seconds, blued steel spade hands, signed A.P. Walsh, London.
Polished case covers, the front with three engraved crests, steel push-piece in the inner bezel at 4 o’clock for time adjustment, the back opening to reveal a hinged cuvette.
Covers and cuvette with London 18 carat gold hallmark for 1875 and with maker’s mark HW incuse for Henry Webb. With a heavy 18-carat gold link chain weighing 55 g.
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Diameter: 54 mm
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Signed: A.P. Walsh 5 George St. Euston Road London
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The three engraved crests to the cover are those of the Chandos-Poll-Gell family and the inner cover has the initials of both Henry Chandos-Pole-Gell and his son, Harry Anthony. Henry (1829-1902) who was made High Sheriff of Derbyshire in 1867, later inherited Hopton Hall through the Gell family.
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The present watch incorporates an ingenious safety winding system that only allows the watch to be wound when the cover is open, thereby encouraging the user to carefully observe the upper subsidiary dial which displays the state of wind. This was intended to help reduce the risk of overwinding, which could cause damage to the movement.
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Arthur Paul Walsh (1815-1893) was a well-known maker and springer of chronometers and precision watches. He particularly specialized in duo-in-uno springs (an example of which is found in the present watch), a spring which has both spiral and helical coils. Robert Gardner, a famed chronometer maker at the turn of the 20th century, remarked that A.P. Walsh was the ‘prince of pocket chronometer makers’ (Paul Chamberlain, It’s About Time, p. 459).