English gilt pair cased rack lever pocket watch Circa 1795

Gilt pair cased key winding rack lever watch
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A fine and rare English gilt brass pair cased pocket watch with a patented rack lever escapement, made by Peter Litherland in Liverpool, circa 1795. It has a mechanical key winding full plate fire gilded brass movement with a chain driven fusee, a silver regulation disc, and a handpierced, engraved gilt balance cock decorated with floral scrollwork. This centres a large steel screw and a diamond endstone. The movement plate is signed and numbered P. Litherland / Patent / No. 731 / Liverpool. The white enamel dial shows black Roman numerals for the hours, an outer minute track, a rare 15 second subsidiary seconds dial at 6 o’clock, spade hands, and a slender seconds hand.
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The timepiece is housed in a smooth, round, plain, polished gilt brass inner case with a single winding aperture on the reverse, stamped internally with the matching serial number. It is protected by a matching plain polished gilt brass outer case containing an original watchmaker’s paper and finished with a matching gilt brass pendant and circular suspension bow.
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Diameter: 56 mm
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Signed: P. Litherland, Liverpool
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Peter Litherland (co founder of Litherland, Davies & Co. in Liverpool) revolutionized British precision horology when he secured Patent No. 1889 in 1792 for the rack lever escapement. This pioneering design eliminated the recoil of the traditional verge escapement by using a geared rack on the lever to drive a pinion on the balance staff. To showcase this technical precision, Litherland designed his escape wheel to rotate exactly four times per minute. This caused the subsidiary seconds hand on the dial to complete a full rotation every 15 seconds instead of the conventional 60. Bearing the low serial number 731, this beautifully preserved, double cased timepiece represents an exceptionally early and historically vital milestone in the development of the English lever watch during the Georgian era.