Fine English silver verge watch of the Odd Fellows Society Circa 1841

An English silver pair cased verge pocket watch of the Odd Fellows Society, hallmarked Birmingham 1841. The full plate fusee movement with round pillars, a pierced and engraved round cock and steel regulator on the top plate below the plain three arm steel balance. White enamel dial with Roman hours, outer minute divisions, a polychrome enamel and gilt scene in the center finely painted with Odd Fellows’ symbols, the all seeing eye above and the motto Amicita Amor et Veritas (Friendship, Love & Truth in English), gilt hands. Plain matching cases, asilver oval pendant and bow, maker’s mark R&S.
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Diameter: 58 mm
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Depth: 15 mm
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Signed: T. and J. Wilson Guisbro
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The Independent Order of Odd Fellows (IOOF) or Odd Fellows is a worldwide organization with humanitarian purposes. The emergence of the Odd Fellows can be placed in the early 18th century. The exact origin of the Odd Fellowship is unknown, but with its Masonic elements, it has a connection with Freemasonry. Presumably, the first Odd Fellows were craftsmen, who were not included in any guild in the 18th century, because they travelled from one place to another. To support each other, they united in a fellowship. It is originally a brotherhood whose members helped each other in times of need. The members also tried to develop further an alliance of Friendship, Love and Truth. These three elements are symbolized in their logo. The core of their philosophy is that people should help each other to form a better society. The formal assignment to its members is therefore to visit the sick, comfort the bereaved, bury the dead and educate the orphans.
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The Eye of Providence or the All Seeing Eye of God is a figure that depicts an eye, often enclosed in a triangle surrounded by rays of light or glory, meant to represent divine providence (God’s intervention in the Universe) whereby the eye of God watches over humanity. The Eye of Providence is a widely recognized symbol, giving it instrumentality in the fields of iconography (a branch of art history that studies the identification, description and interpretation of the content of images) and semiotics (the systematic study of sign processes and meaning-making). The triangle was a long-standing symbol of the Christian Trinity of Father, Son and Holy Spirit, but it is frequently connected with the Freemasons and the Illuminati (a secret group of elite individuals allegedly seeking to control global affairs) too. It also features the reverse of the American one-dollar bill as well as the Great Seal of the United States.