Antique sterling silver half hunter pocket watch by Dent of London.
Renowned watchmaker and watchmaker to the queen (Victoria) and the King (Edward VII).
Size 16.
5cm (50mm) across the case.
In superb "near mint" condition, dates to c1901. The case is hallmarked sterling silver with a London assay and date marked for 1900, has the makers mark of JW (Joseph Walton). Plain polished case, no major scratches or dents, Roman Numerals around front crystal. This is a pin set crown wind piece (wind with crown and set the time by depressing the pin). The front cover pops open with a depression of the crown, as it should and has a very smooth and pleasant operation. All covers open and close well. Good hinges, not strained. Top quality case.
The bow is solid 9ct gold, tested and confirmed as 9ct although it is not hallmarked.
The dial is in mint condition, no chips or hairline cracks, signed "Dent London". Blued steel hands, Roman Numerals
Good mineral glass in mint condition.
The movement is signed "DENT LONDON" "Watchmakers to the King" "61 Strand & 4 Royal Exchange" and the serial number. It has had an extensive service and is in mint condition. No signs of corrosion, no signs of screwdriver marks on the screw heads, no signs of scratches left by slipping screwdrivers etc. It runs well and keeps good time.
The winding system is fitted with a stopwork (Maltese Cross) that prevents the watch being fully wound or fully run down. This is fitted to prevent over torque in the watch and is part of the original design. The presence of this mechanism requires the watch to be wound more often (usually at a set time of day, of your choice)
A very nice English timepiece by a famous maker, Dent. Dent famously (along with Denison) provided the clockworks for the Westminster clock in the bell tower known as Big Ben.
122-year-old English timepiece in every day usable working order. A rare piece and in top condition, almost mint, polish marks on the case are the only thing stopping it being "mint" and they are minor a minor point.
It has been well looked after in the 122 years of its existence and continued to be so in my keeping.
Serviced.
Servicing is defined as the piece being disassembled, cleaned, inspected and adjusted if necessary. It is then re-assembled and correctly oiled, timed for accuracy and adjusted if required. The mainspring will be replaced with a modern alloy type and the piece will be bench-tested for at least one day.
Statement.
I restore all of my watches to a fully working condition. It is my aim to provide a watch that is not only running but working to a usable state. My watches can be worn and used for their intended purpose on a daily basis. The time keeping should certainly be within +- 5 minutes per 24 hours but I aim for +-3 or better. I do offer guarantees, the details of which can be found on my website for Time Pocket Watches. I have many years experience and a vast catalogue of Waltham
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