English repeating and self strike pocket watch Circa 1780

Silver important and heavy gentleman’s watch by Justin Vulliamy
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An important, heavy English quarter-hour repeating and quarter-hour self strike gentleman’s pocket watch with Chelsea bun temperature compensation, circa 1780.
The silver consular case has a florally engraved band and inner lid, with soundholes, rear bell, monogram on reverse side RL, and a movement protection cap. The enamel dial has radial Roman hours, Arabic minutes, and gold cathedral hands. And the full plate movement is signed and gilt, and has a chain/fusee, three barrels for going train, a repetition and self strike, moulded pillars, four hammers, a ruby cylinder escapement, three-arm steel balance, a temperature-compensating balance spring by adjustable helical bimetal stripe, a pierced balance bridge, a chatoned diamond endstone on balance, and a movement protection cap.
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Diameter: 64 mm
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Weight: 288 g
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Signed: Justin Vulliamy, London
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This finely executed compensation device – the so-called Chelsea bun – is basically the same as the one Harrison and later Kendall (K2!) used for the first pocket watch marine chronometers, so this watch was probably produced not long after them!
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Three successive generations of the Vulliamy family were active as clockmakers from 1735 until 1854; they were particularly famous for their regulator clocks but also created excellent and important pocket watches.
Around 1743 Benjamin Gray, who was about 66 at the time and had been pocket watchmaker to King George II since 1742, and Francois Justin Vulliamy (who had immigrated from Switzerland in the mid-30s) became partners; Vulliamy had married Gray’s daughter Mary two years before.
Gray was a watchmaker specializing in repeating verge pocket watches; during his partnership with Vulliamy these repeater watches were more often fitted with cylinder movements and the company also produced a number of clocks.
After Gray’s death in 1764 JustinVulliamy took over the shop at the west end of Pall Mall. In 1772 Justin’s son Benjamin Vulliamy was appointed clockmaker to the court of King George III; together with his father, he had already assisted the king in his observatory at Richmond in 1769 during the transit of Venus. Around 1780 he became a full partner in his father’s business.
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In the early 80s, the Vulliamy company had started to concentrate on the production of clocks (particularly valuable ornamental clocks) because the ever-increasing number of cheap pocket watches imported from abroad had begun causing serious problems for the domestic makers; special value was laid on excellent quality control and dedication to quality.
Justin Vulliamy died in 1797 when he was nearly 86 years old; he had written his last will in French. Around 1801 Benjamin Vulliamy took his son Benjamin Lewis on as a partner. They carried on selling pocket watches with cylinder escapements but started using more and more duplex escapements for their high-quality pieces. The company began including items such as candle holders and other gold and silver goods into their range; this increased their turnover considerably, however, the customers the habit of not paying their bills – especially where members of the royal family and the nobility were concerned – kept the profits comparatively low.
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Benjamin Vulliamy died in 1811 and his second son came into the business; however, he left again in 1820 because he was unhappy with his brother Benjamin Lewis strict management style. The company was by now known for its outstanding turret clock movements and the well-engineered clocks they supplied many public authorities with. Of course, they still produced pocket watches as well and soon to be famous makers such as Richard Pendleton, E.J.Dent and Sylvain Mairet worked for the Vulliamys around the end of the 18th century and in the 1820s and 1830s. Benjamin Lewis, unfortunately, did not manage to secure the commission for “Big Ben”, but he and his ancestors had been appointed clockmakers to the royal courts of four kings and queens and the family had had several masters in the Worshipful Company of Clockmakers.
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The company ceased to exist with Benjamin Lewis death in 1854; goodwill and royal warrant changed over to Charles Frodsham, tools and equipment were mostly taken over by the Jumps, Vulliamy’s loyal workmen.