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The Encyclopedia of Horology

Pocket watch · Full hunter pocket watch

Thomas Russell & Son Liverpool Yellow Gold Keyless Lever Full Hunter Pocket Watch

Partially verified

This antique full hunter pocket watch by Thomas Russell & Son of Liverpool features an 18ct yellow gold case with a reported diameter of 50 mm. The source documents Chester hallmarks dating the case to 1911 and notes an entwined monogram on the front lid. The white enamel dial is styled with black Roman numerals, an outer minute track, blued steel spade hands, a sunken subsidiary seconds register at 6 o'clock, and red lettering reading 'Kew A Adjusted'. The keyless lever movement is source-reported to feature a nickel-finished tourbillon-style bridge with screwed-in chatons, having achieved Kew A Observatory Chronometer certification.

Open front view of the 18ct yellow gold Thomas Russell & Son full hunter pocket watch showing the enamel dial and subsidiary seconds
Open front view of the 18ct yellow gold Thomas Russell & Son full hunter pocket watch showing the enamel dial and subsidiary seconds — Watch Museum. Rights pending — permission not yet requested. Original source

Catalogue identity

Source
watchmuseum.org
Category
Pocket watch · Full hunter pocket watch
Maker / attribution
Thomas Russell & Son
Reference
Not recorded
Catalogue / lot identifier
Source URL identifies the listing
Source-reported date
c. 1910 - 1911
Country
England

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 Visual Presentation

Visual observation of the watch shows a white enamel dial with bold black Roman numerals, an outer minute track, and blued steel spade hands. Positioned at 6 o'clock is a sunken subsidiary seconds dial marked with Arabic numerals in tens. Arched immediately above the subsidiary seconds dial is curved lettering in red reading 'KEW. A. ADJUSTED', with 'THOS RUSSELL & SON LIVERPOOL' inscribed below the 12 o'clock numeral.

The winding assembly features a fluted onion-form winding crown with an arched suspension bow positioned at 3 o'clock relative to the dial face.

Evidence for this section
  • “White enamel dial inscribed 'THOS RUSSELL & SON LIVERPOOL' below the 12 o'clock position.”
  • “Sunken subsidiary seconds dial at 6 o'clock with Arabic numerals in tens.”
  • “Curved lettering in red reading 'KEW. A. ADJUSTED' arched directly above the subsidiary seconds dial.”
  • “Fluted onion-form winding crown with an arched suspension bow positioned at 3 o'clock relative to the dial.”

Case Construction and Hallmarking

The source describes the watch as an 18ct yellow gold full hunter case with a diameter of 50 mm (1.97 in). The exterior is reported to have an 'entwined monogram on the front cover' and a 'plain back cover'.

The seller account states that the inner cuvette is plain and that the case is 'fully English hallmarked for Chester 1911', though another field lists the date of manufacture as 1910. Neither the exterior covers nor the inner case hallmarks are visible in the single open-dial view provided.

Evidence for this section
  • “18ct yellow gold full hunter case”
  • “Diameter: 50 mm (1.97 in)”
  • “boasts a beautiful entwined monogram on the front cover and a plain back cover”
  • “The inner cuvette is plain as well, and the case is fully English hallmarked for Chester 1911”
  • “Date of Manufacture: 1910”

Reported Movement and Kew Certification

The internal mechanism is not depicted in the image. The seller description states that it is a keyless lever movement incorporating a 'highly jewelled, nickel-finished Tourbillon-style bridge with screwed-in chatons', alongside a micro-regulation system, a compensation balance, and a lever escapement.

The text asserts that the watch passed the 'Kew A Observatory Chronometer certification, which is officially recorded in the books of the National Physical Laboratory Kew'. Specific trial numbers, Kew certificates, and movement serial numbers are not documented in the source.

Evidence for this section
  • “This is a Thomas Russell & Son Liverpool heavy yellow gold keyless lever full hunter pocket watch, certified by Kew A, dating back to the 1910s.”
  • “It features a highly jewelled, nickel-finished Tourbillon-style bridge with screwed-in chatons, a micro regulation system, a compensation balance, and a lever escapement.”
  • “It passed the Kew A Observatory Chronometer certification, which is officially recorded in the books of the National Physical Laboratory Kew.”

Open research questions

  • What specific monogram letters are engraved on the front cover of the case?
  • What serial numbers are stamped on the movement and case, and do matching entries exist in the Kew Observatory testing ledgers at the National Physical Laboratory?
  • Does the movement feature an actual revolving tourbillon carriage or merely a bridge shape styled after tourbillon layouts?

Source evidence

Recorded claims and source quotations for Thomas Russell & Son Liverpool Yellow Gold Keyless Lever Full Hunter Pocket Watch
FieldSource-reported valueSource quotation
Case Material18k Yellow Gold“18ct yellow gold full hunter case”
Case HallmarksChester 1911“fully English hallmarked for Chester 1911”
Case Diameter50 mm“Diameter: 50 mm (1.97 in)”
Dial InscriptionKew A Adjusted“red "Kew A Adjusted" lettering”
HandsBlued steel spade hands“blued steel spade hands”
Front Cover DecorationEntwined monogram“boasts a beautiful entwined monogram on the front cover”
Back Cover and CuvettePlain“plain back cover. The inner cuvette is plain as well”
Reported Escapement and BalanceLever escapement, compensation balance, micro-regulation“a micro regulation system, a compensation balance, and a lever escapement”

Visible details

  • Fluted onion-form winding crown with an arched suspension bow positioned at 3 o'clock relative to the dial.
  • White enamel dial inscribed 'THOS RUSSELL & SON LIVERPOOL' below the 12 o'clock position.
  • Sunken subsidiary seconds dial at 6 o'clock with Arabic numerals in tens.
  • Curved lettering in red reading 'KEW. A. ADJUSTED' arched directly above the subsidiary seconds dial.

Research qualifications

  • Movement and engraved front cover are detailed in the source description but not visible in the provided photograph.
  • The date is variously stated in the source as 1910, early 1910s, and Chester hallmarked for 1911.

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

Consulted source

Thomas Russell & Son Liverpool Yellow Gold Kew - C1910s » Watch Museum: Discover The World Of Antique & Vintage Pocket Watches

Reviewed 2026-10-21 · Record 9a1e5bb9bf

Terms in this record

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

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