Hello Jason,
Thank you for sending in your family pocket watch to mearto for an appraisal. I shall try to help you with that today.
TITLE:
Gent’s, 16s, 18k yellow gold, pendant wound, savonette, keyless English lever, hunting case pocket watch, case/movement number both 63156, made and retailed by J. Blanckensee & Company, Birmingham, U.K., circa last quarter of the 19th century. Accompanied by the original Jeweler’s box.
DESCRIPTION:
CASE – Size 16 (19 1/8’’’), four leaf, 18k gold, hunting case pocket watch with polished outer covers and knurled edge case. The inside of the covers that are shown indicate this case was made by the firm of J. Blanckensee & Company of Birmingham England. (They were “watch manufacturers as well as importers” working from circa 1875 until circa 1906 and located at Duchess Road and Regency Street in Birmingham, although they moved to Frederick Street in Birmingham in 1903.) There is fluted gold ball pendant and gold round bow placed at the three position (savonette) opposite the case hinge. There is a crown indicating the English gold hallmark and 18K for the quality of the gold. No Date Letter mark is seen, nor the Assay Office mark. This watch may well have been cased in Canada rather than England, unless there are hallmarks you have not shown me.

Dial: White porcelain dial with fine Roman hours, closed minute track, sunken subsidiary seconds dial @6 and blued steel Continental Spade hands. The dial is unsigned.

Movement: Not shown but said by the client to be an “English lever escapement in working order”. This is most likely a keyless pin set going barrel movement with English lever escapement that is wound from the pendant. These types of movements were made late in 19th century. I really cannot comment further since I cannot see the movement but here is an example made by Thomas Russell in 1893 in Liverpool - https://www.sellingantiques.co.uk/623737/1893-silver-keyless-pocket-watch-english-lever/

Condition: Case - some mild surface scratches on the covers, otherwise in very good condition. Dial – Excellent, no hairline fractures seen. Dial however is unsigned. Movement- Not seen and assumed original to this case from the provenance provided and in running condition.

Comparing this English lever watch with other solid gold examples (from the late 19th century) I have determined that the fair market range of prices is between $750 and $900 in today’s marketplace. Retail prices are quite a bit higher than that. The watch is priced to sell into the watch market, and NOT into the gold market. (Below I have provided an estimate of what the watch would bring on the gold market)

SOME RECENT COMPARABLES:
https://www.barnebys.com/realizedprices/lot/82458188/j-w-benson-of-london-stem-wind-pocket-watch/ (sold for $410)
https://www.barnebys.com/realizedprices/lot/81710523/j-w-benson/ (sold for $490)
https://www.barnebys.com/realizedprices/lot/81710523/j-w-benson/ (1875-failed to sell)
https://www.barnebys.com/realizedprices/lot/38248029/jos-johnson-9k-pink-gold-hunting-cased-pocket-watch/ (9k gold, sold for $550)

Value in the gold market:
45.6 gms =1.64024 ounces x 40% (the weight of the gold covers) = 0.6561 ounces of 18k gold x 0.750 =0.492072 ounces of 24 k gold x $1342 = $660 less the 15% retail fee to do the exchange = $561 to you.

I hope this information is of some help to you and thank you again for using mearto.com for the appraisal.
My best,
David