English half hunting cased Grande Sonnerie repeater Circa 1880

Rare gold quarter repeating watch by Sir John Bennett
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A very fine and rare English half hunting cased, quarter repeating, pocket watch with Grande Sonnerie, circa 1880.
Bridge movement, two hammers / two gongs, two barrels with tandem winding, gold screw compensation balance. Signed off-white enamel dial with radial Roman numerals, outer minutes track with Arabic five minutes numerals, subsidiary dial for the seconds, and blued Poires double effet hands. Engine-turned 18-carat gold half hunting case, chapter ring with blue enamel Roman numerals, lever to set striking or silence, lever for choosing between Quarters Only and Full Strike. Gold dome signed: Maker to the Royal Observatory, 65 & 64 Cheapside, London.
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Diameter: 52 mm
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Weight: 137 g
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Signed: Sir John Bennett, 65 & 64 Cheapside, London
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This half hunting cased watch has been extremely well looked after – there are no signs of wear at all.
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Sir John Bennett (1814-1897)
Bennett came from a watchmaking family and he and his brother took over the family workshop when their father died early. Bennett started his own workshop in 1847 in Cheapside; he was a clever and marketing oriented businessman, who caught the eye of the public during the Great Exhibition of1851, when he booked the title page of the exhibition catalogue as well as stand no. 1. His shop windows were decorated with pocket watches and modern advertising slogans and when the “Big Ben” clock was installed in 1860, Bennett builds a similar clock with an automaton and presented it in his window. The display attracted so many people that the police had to control the traffic around his shop. The clock was later bought by Henry Ford and is still displayed in the Ford Museum in Dearborn, Michigan. Charles Dickens was also one of Bennett’s customers. John Bennett was knighted by Queen Victoria in St. Paul’s Cathedral in 1871; he was also elected Sheriff of London at a later date.