English silver coach watch with center seconds Circa 1796

Massive silver coach watch with pin wheel escapement
–
An English rare and massive silver consular cased coach watch with pin wheel escapement, center seconds and seconds beating balance, circa 1796, gilded full plate movement, pin wheel escapement, and pirouette, decoratively pierced and engraved balance cock and broad foot, seconds beating balance, diamond end stone, chain and fusee with Harrison’s maintaining power, cylindrical pillars, signed John Russell, Falkirk, Invt. et Fecit.
White enamel dial, radial Arabic numerals, outer minute ring with Arabic numerals at the quarters, pink gold arrow head hour and minute hands, gold counterpoised center seconds.
Plain silver case with early Regency pendant, the hinged back opening to reveal fixed cuvette with apertures for winding and hand set, inner cover and outer back hallmarked London 1796 and with maker’s mark WL incuse for William Laithwait or William Lewis.
–
Diameter: 133 mm
–
Signed: John Russell Falkirk Invt. et Fecit
–
This highly unusual watch has a ‘true’ beating seconds hand; this is achieved by the pin wheel type pirouette escapement with seconds beating balance. The brass escape wheel has a single row of upright pins and the anker like pallet arms are mounted separately on the same arbor, one being stepped so that the pallets are on the same plane.
–
John Russell, born in 1745, made a number of unusual watches, clocks and barometers and was patronized by both the horophile King George III and the Prince Regent, later George IV. Barometers by Russell may be found in both the Victoria and Albert Museum and Buckingham Palace.