English silver pair cased watch with compass Circa 1799

Silver verge watch with compass
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An English silver pair cased verge watch with compass made according to John Peckham’s patent, circa 1799,  gilded full plate movement, verge escapement, decoratively pierced and engraved balance cock, fusee and chain, cylindrical pillars, dial and movement signed Benj. Webb, London, By the King’s Patent, movement numbered.
White enamel dial, subsidiary time dial with Roman numerals and outer minute ring, gold arrow hands, sunken subsidiary dial for compass below with blued steel hand, dial signed B. Webb, London, By the King’s Patent.
Plain silver cases, the inner case hallmarked 1799 and with maker’s mark NTW in a cameo for Nicholas Thomas Wood, outer case with rubbed hallmark which appears to read 1816 to inside of the bezel, pendant hallmarked 1816 compass locking slide to the bezel.
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Diameter: 60 mm
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Signed: Benj. Webb London  By the King’s Patent

It is possible that one or two makers, in addition to Benjamin Webb, took up Peckham’s patent, however, perhaps fewer than a dozen of these watches survive. John Peckham stated in his patent no. 2280 of 1798 that his was “A new and improved method of constructing a watch so as to unite it with a mariner’s compass”. His idea was to “substitute for those works which are usually made of steel, which are near enough to affect in the smallest degree the free action of the magnetic needle, works made of gold, silver, or any other metal or a mixture of metals which have no influence on the magnetic needle”. The movement includes several parts, which one would normally expect to be of steel, that is of brass, in particular the screws, but, of course, the balance spring, fusee chain, and arbors have to be steel.

The watch by Benjamin Webb with compass patented by John Peckham.  A watch by Benjamin Webb was made an honorary Freeman of the Clockmakers’ Company in 1787, he was registered at 21 St. John Square in 1778-1790 and 3 Red Lion Street 1806-1810.