English Verge Fusee Pocket Watch with Chain Key | Enameled Erotic Scene Inside Case
watch-VC2-069$6,500.00

English Verge Fusee Pocket Watch with Chain Key | Enameled Erotic Scene Inside Case
watch-VC2-069$6,500.00
Product Details
Gilt Verge Fusee Full Enameled Erotic Man’s Open Face Pocket Watch With Chain & Key
London, England; Norton (Swiss); Man’s; Serial# 174; CA1820
Complications: Early verge and erotic enamel scene.
CASE: The rose gilt 18-size plain swing-out case features an open face, hidden erotic enamel scene and is signed “Leton”.
DIAL: This white porcelain dial displays Roman numerals and has spade hands.
MOVT: This key-set No. 174 movement with verge fusee escapement is gilt with a full-plate layout and is signed.
CONDITIONS:
C 3 (The Case is in Very Good Condition)
D 3 (The Dial is in Very Good Condition)
M 3 (The Movement is in Very Good Condition)
R 9-½ (Rarity on a scale of #1 being very common to #10 being extremely rare)
Experts Opinion: As usual the erotic scene is hidden behind the back case, when opened a full enamel scene of a man and woman making love.
Price: $6,500.00
Pocket Watch Origins
A well-rounded collection should have at least one fusee in it, if for no other reason than to remind us of the origins of pocket watches.
The earliest fusees had no minute hand and were a status symbol of the rich. They were too bulky to comfortably carry, containing all the necessary hardware to drive a portable clock. Later examples from the 1800s were assembled by European watchmakers using Swiss-made ébauche plates and are fairly common, so our emphasis is on the few survivors that remain from centuries past.
The Verge
The verge escapement dates from the 1200s and was used in clocks until the 1500s when spring-driven pocket watches first began to emerge. The design used alternating steel paddles on the balance wheel to mesh with a softer brass crown wheel.
Gear Trains
The simplest of fusee gear trains consist of the mainspring barrel, the fusee cone with internal ratchet, the brass center and third wheel, the brass contrate wheel, and the brass crown wheel, which meshes with the steel paddles on the balance wheel staff.
Fusee Accuracy
Verge fusees inevitably speed up over time because of the wear to the mating surfaces. The soft brass teeth of the crown wheel become flattened against the steel paddles on the balance staff, decreasing the amount of time between impulses and causing the movement to run faster.
Unreasonable Expectations
Fusees are centuries-old mechanical marvels, laboriously finished by hand at a watchmaker's bench using oil lamps and simple tools. The fact that they can still be made to run at all is remarkable, but that doesn't stop people from believing that they are somehow capable of quartz time or obsessively checking them against their iPhone.
None of these antiques will ever be used to time an Olympic event; we collect these amazing timepieces because of the history they contain.
A well-rounded collection should have at least one fusee in it, if for no other reason than to remind us of the origins of pocket watches.
The earliest fusees had no minute hand and were a status symbol of the rich. They were too bulky to comfortably carry, containing all the necessary hardware to drive a portable clock. Later examples from the 1800s were assembled by European watchmakers using Swiss-made ébauche plates and are fairly common, so our emphasis is on the few survivors that remain from centuries past.
The Verge
The verge escapement dates from the 1200s and was used in clocks until the 1500s when spring-driven pocket watches first began to emerge. The design used alternating steel paddles on the balance wheel to mesh with a softer brass crown wheel.
Gear Trains
The simplest of fusee gear trains consist of the mainspring barrel, the fusee cone with internal ratchet, the brass center and third wheel, the brass contrate wheel, and the brass crown wheel, which meshes with the steel paddles on the balance wheel staff.
Fusee Accuracy
Verge fusees inevitably speed up over time because of the wear to the mating surfaces. The soft brass teeth of the crown wheel become flattened against the steel paddles on the balance staff, decreasing the amount of time between impulses and causing the movement to run faster.
Unreasonable Expectations
Fusees are centuries-old mechanical marvels, laboriously finished by hand at a watchmaker's bench using oil lamps and simple tools. The fact that they can still be made to run at all is remarkable, but that doesn't stop people from believing that they are somehow capable of quartz time or obsessively checking them against their iPhone.
None of these antiques will ever be used to time an Olympic event; we collect these amazing timepieces because of the history they contain.