English silver pocket watch with cylinder escapement Circa 1744

Open faced pocket watch by George Graham
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An English pocket watch with cylinder escapement by on of the most famous Englisch watchmakers, circa 1744.
Silver case with case maker’s punch mark “IW” (John Ward); silver dial with Roman hours, Arabic minutes, a keyhole and decorative steel hands; full plate movement with chain/fusee, three-arm steel balance, fine florally engraved and pierced balance cock. Dial and movement are both signed.
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Diameter: 49 mm
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Weight: 98 g
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Signed: Graham, London
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The escapement in this watch is in original condition and retains the original Graham banking which is via a small pin mounted in the bottom of the cylinder which banks on a projection on the potence. Most often, when cylinders are later repaired or replaced, other means of banking were applied, the fitting of which can deface the watch. At this period in Graham’s output, the winding square of any single cased watch, which meant winding via the dial, protrudes through the dial in such a way that it would catch on the minute hand. This meant that all the original hands were specially shaped to clear the square. Most such „cranked“ hands do not survive and later repairers would file the winding square down in order to fit non-cranked hands. The hands on this watch are a rare survival.
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Provenance: George Bennett’s Collection