English repeater with grande and petite sonnerie Circa 1865

Gold full hunting lever watch
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A hunting cased minute repeating pocket watch of historical interest with Grande Sonnerie and Petite Sonnerie of historical interest with a logbook, a collection of original letters, newspapers clippings and black and white photographs related to Captain Smith’s life, circa 1865.
An 18 Carat gold, tiered, polished, the front with the engraved representation of the H.M.S. Worcester, the back cover monogrammed JHS, gold dome with dedication engraving: Presented to Capt. Henderson Smith Comnd. R.N.R. Commanding H.M.S. ‘Worcester’ by W.H. Roberts, Esq. as a token of gratitude for the gallant rescue of Himself, Mrs Roberts & the Crew of the Yacht ‘Bamba’ which became a total wreck. 10th September 1869., case maker punch mark EW, slide for repeating mechanism, levers for quarters/full strike and strike/silence.
Enamel dial, radial Roman hours, auxiliary seconds, blued spade hands, 4/5 plate movement, frosted, gilt, screwed gold chatons, two hammers/two gongs, two going barrels with click works, English lever escapement, gold screw compensation balance, blued free-sprung balance spring, chatoned diamond endstone on balance.
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Diameter: 56 mm
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Weight: 203 gr.
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Signed:  Army & Navy Cooperative Society Ltd.  London
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Captain Smith was the Commander of the Royal Navy training ship “H.M.S. Worcester” for over 25 years, training cadets from all over Britain; he died in December 1904 at the age of 78 and is buried at Highgate Cemetery in London next to his wife Jessie. Captain Smith was given the watch by Mr Roberts in gratitude for the rescue of passengers and crew of the Yacht “Bamba”.
One of the cadets trained by Captain Smith was Togo Heihachiro, who later became an admiral himself. Known as Admiral Togo, he was one of Japan’s greatest naval heroes, often called “the Nelson of the East”.

The Army & Navy Cooperative Society Limited
The Army & Navy Cooperative Society Limited was founded in London in 1871 and was the first and by far the most successful cooperative retailer throughout the whole of the British Empire and India. The company’s goal was to provide “The Very Best English Goods” at reasonable prices. The Kew Observatory records list them as makers of high-quality complicated watches which were very successful during tests at the turn of the century. The present watch with its double overcoil hairspring was doubtlessly entered in one of those trials.