Pocket watch · Pair cased verge watch

Dutch & English No. 695 silver pair cased repoussé verge watch

Partially verified

This antique silver pair-cased verge pocket watch features an inner silver case hallmarked for London, 1774, alongside an outer repoussé case decorated with scrollwork and borders. The silver champlevé dial displays Roman numerals with gilded half-hour rosettes, an arcaded Arabic outer minute track, a date aperture, and a central banner inscribed with the name Shearwood. Inside, the gilded full-plate movement is powered by a fusee and chain, incorporating a verge escapement, a pierced and engraved Continental-style balance bridge, square baluster pillars, and is numbered 695.

Dial and front view of the silver pair cased watch within its engraved outer bezel — Sotheby's. Rights pending — permission not yet requested. Original source

Catalogue identity

Source: www.sothebys.com
Category: Pocket watch · Pair cased verge watch
Maker / attribution: Shearwood (signature)
Reference: Not recorded
Catalogue / lot identifier: 68
Source-reported date: 1774
Country: United Kingdom
Source-reported serial: 695

Source-reported attribution and specifications are not independent authentication. A listing does not establish present ownership, current display, availability or permission to reproduce.

Object description

Dial and Hands

The watch is fitted with a silver champlevé dial featuring Roman numerals with gilded half-hour rosettes set between them. The outer perimeter displays an arcaded Arabic track for minutes, alongside a dedicated aperture for the date display.

Gilded pierced hands are positioned above a central banner bearing the signature 'Shearwood'. Direct observation also shows relief scrollwork flanking the banner across the dial center.

Evidence for this section

“Dial: silver champlevé, Roman numerals with gilded half-hour rosettes between, arcaded Arabic outer minute ring, aperture for date, bearing the signature Shearwood to central banner”
“Gilded pierced hands are positioned over a central banner bearing the text 'SHEARWOOD'.”

Dual Case Construction

The timepiece employs a silver pair case measuring 43 mm across the inner case and 50.5 mm across the outer case. The catalog description details a plain inner case with a winding aperture, a rear cover bearing a later naively engraved crest dated 1790, and an interior hallmarked for London, 1774, alongside a maker's mark noted as possibly Samuel Priest of Southern Payne.

The outer repoussé case is cataloged as depicting Father Time crowning a seated figure, framed by scroll and shell-work borders and bezel. Visual inspection confirms relief scroll and foliage motifs across the visible outer bezel and band.

Evidence for this section

“diameter inner case: 43mm, outer 50.5mm”
“Cases: silver, plain inner, the back with laternaively engraved crest dated 1790, aperture for winding, inside back hallmarked London 1774 and with maker's mark possibly Samuel Priest of Southern Payne”
“repoussé outer case depicting Father Time crowning a seated figure, scroll and shell-work borders and bezel”
“The repoussé outer bezel and case band exhibit relief scroll and foliage motifs.”

Reported Movement and Origin

According to the auction catalog, the watch contains a gilded full-plate movement powered by a fusee and chain, fitted with square baluster pillars, a plain three-arm balance, a Continental pierced and engraved balance bridge, and a verge escapement.

The movement plate is reported to bear the signature 'Shearwood, London, no. 695'. The auction listing heads the piece as 'English/Dutch', leaving ambiguous whether the watch represents London production for export, Dutch manufacture, or a Continental watch bearing a spurious English signature.

Evidence for this section

“Movement: gilded full plate, verge escapement, Continental pierced and engraved balance bridge, plain three-arm balance, fusee and chain, square baluster pillars, bearing the signature Shearwood, London, no. 695”
“English/Dutch | Dutch & English No. 695 A silver pair cased repoussé”

Open research questions

What specific hallmark punch marks and initials are struck in the inner silver case?
Does the movement construction indicate genuine English origin with Continental-style features or an 18th-century Dutch/Continental imitation?
What heraldic family or individual is represented by the 1790 crest engraved on the inner case back?

Source evidence

Recorded claims and source quotations for Dutch & English No. 695 silver pair cased repoussé verge watch
Field	Source-reported value	Source quotation
Escapement	Verge escapement	“verge escapement”
Movement Details	Gilded full plate with fusee and chain and square baluster pillars	“gilded full plate, verge escapement, Continental pierced and engraved balance bridge, plain three-arm balance, fusee and chain, square baluster pillars”
Dial	Silver champlevé with date aperture	“silver champlevé, Roman numerals with gilded half-hour rosettes between, arcaded Arabic outer minute ring, aperture for date”
Outer Case Diameter	50.5 mm	“outer 50.5mm”
Inner Case Diameter	43 mm	“diameter inner case: 43mm”
Inner Case Hallmark	London, 1774	“inside back hallmarked London 1774”
Inner Case Engraving	Naively engraved crest dated 1790	“the back with laternaively engraved crest dated 1790”
Possible Case Maker's Mark	Possibly Samuel Priest of Southern Payne	“maker's mark possibly Samuel Priest of Southern Payne”
Movement Inscription	Shearwood, London, no. 695	“bearing the signature Shearwood, London, no. 695”

Visible details

Silver champlevé dial features Roman hour numerals and prominent arcaded Arabic five-minute numerals.
Gilded pierced hands are positioned over a central banner bearing the text 'SHEARWOOD'.
Gilded rosettes are set into the dial plate between the Roman hour numerals.
The repoussé outer bezel and case band exhibit relief scroll and foliage motifs.

Research qualifications

The movement and rear repoussé relief scene are not visible in the provided image.
The source notes the movement only bears the signature 'Shearwood, London' rather than definitively confirming manufacture.

Photograph identity and source facts were screened before import; rights clearance remains pending.

Consulted source

English/Dutch | Dutch & English No. 695 A silver pair cased repoussé

Reviewed 2026-10-21 · Record 9278f77a93

Terms in this record

Glossary explanations for terms named in this object’s record.