English fire gilt double cased verge pocket watch Circa 1780

Fire gilt pocket watch
–
A double cased verge watch made by William Plumley in London, England, circa 1780. This double cased watch was crafted from fire gilt, has an engine turned outer case and a watch paper. The white enamel dial has Roman hour numerals and rare golden arrow hands. The numbered movement has a beautiful fire gilt verge escapement and a steel balance.
The movement is signed.
–
Diameter: 53 mm
–
Weight: 109 g
–
Signed: Plumley, Ludgate Hill
–
Watch paper
Watch papers are small printed round paper inserts, that were placed in pocket watches to protect their inner workings from dust. They were printed on one side with the names and addresses of the watchmaker or fixer and a manufacturing or repair date was often handwritten on the paper. Some bore intricate illustrations, often showing allegorical figures and even timepieces. Despite their importance as a practical complement to watches and examples of printing art, a modern Webster’s dictionary slights them, proclaiming that a watch paper is “an old fashioned ornament for the inside of a watch case made of paper fancifully cut or printed.”