Exquisite English gold watch with floral decoration Circa 1690

Rare gold watch Summer Flowers by George Etherington
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A very rare London 20 carat verge pocket watch with exquisite repoussé floral decoration, circa 1690. Full plate fire gilt verge movement, fusee and chain with worm and wheel barrel setup between the plates, pierced and engraved balance cock with three-arm brass balance, Egyptian pillars.
Silver champlevé dial with Roman numerals outer minute track with Arabic five minute markers and the original blued steel hands.
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What sets this timepiece apart is its 20 carat gold case featuring a rare and intricate repoussé floral decoration. There is a small shell placed in the case middle and by moving a small slider one of the rose petals opens and reveals the recess for the winding key, further adding to the provenance and desirability of this remarkable watch. Signed dial and movement.
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Diameter: 47 mm
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Weight: 93 g
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Signed: Geo. Etherington London
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The template for the magnificent case decoration comes from one of the florilegies common in the Middle Ages and early modern times. The case has a wonderful feel and shows various floral tendrils of roses, poppies, lilies, tulips and other summer blossoms. As a special effect, a small snail shell was placed in the middle. By moving a small slider, one of the rose petals opens and reveals the recess for the winding key.
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George Etherington was an important watchmaker in London. In 1684 he was acquitted by the Clockmakers Company, having previously been apprenticed to Robert Rooksby, possibly in Newcastle-on-Tyne or York. In 1689 he moved from the “Dial in Fleet Street” to “against the New Church in the Strand”, London. In 1697 he signed the oath of allegiance and became assistant to the Clockmakers’ Company in 1701, overseer in 1706 and finally obtained his master’s degree in 1709. He remained a member of the Clockmakers Company until 1720. He died in 1729. His successor in the business was his former apprentice Thomas Haydon. Etherington watches are in the Science Museum in London.
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Reference 0043500