Hello Steve,
Thank you for sending in this most interesting pocket watch to mearto.com for an appraisal. I shall do my best to help you with that tonight. (In the future if you continue with other watches please take quality photos of all the markings inside the case covers so that they are more easily legible to me. Also include measurements-Thank you.)
TITLE:
Gent’s silver, pair case, verge/fusee, key wound and set, open face pocket watch, made by C. Charleson, London, circa 1736.
PROVENANCE:
“It was bought in Germany back in the 60's from a 2nd hand dealer.”
DESCRIPTION:
OUTER CASE: No size provided, but I will approximate the diameter of the outer case as being 46-48mm in diameter. There are no hallmarks on the outer case but I will assume it is a good quality of silver (not unusual in such an early English watch to find no hallmarks on the outer case). The surface is polished and the outer case is hinged and has an opening for the pendant stem to protrude through the outer cover. There is also an opening in the side for a push button that would open the outer case. The inside of the cover has no hallmarks.
INNER CASE: No size provided and estimated to be in the range of 40-42mm diameter. The inside of the cover is hallmarked with the 'Lion Guardant' for Sterling Silver, hallmarked for the London Assay Office, 1736 with a date letter mark of a lower-case 'a'. There are two initials at the center of the inside of the cover which are illegible to me partially from silver oxide forming which colors the lettering black. Those are the initials of the London casemaker. Good condition throughout. The inner watch has a round flattened silver pendant and horseshoe shaped bow which dates generally to the second quarter of the 18th century, which is in keeping with the dates of this watchmaker.
DIAL: This is a fine silver champlevé dial, engraved in the dial center on two banners, “Charleson, London”. The engraved and black enameled Roman hour chapter ring is in bas relief with a scalloped Dutch style closed minute ring to the outside, with Arabic markers in oval cartouche form placed every five minutes and gilt rosettes serving as half hour markers as well as having a half hour track to the inside of the hours. There is a lever embedded in the 30 minute marker for opening the back cover and exposing the movement. The dial is fully oxidized with AG2O (silver oxide) and has turned black as one should expect. The dial has a beetle hour hand and is missing its poker minute hand.
MOVEMENT: This is a crown wheel (verge) escapement with a chain driven fusee movement. There are square Egyptian pillars connecting the dial plate with the back plate and there are hand pierced gilt brass ornaments descending down from the back plate, dating to the early to mid-18th century. The back plate has a balance cock with a lacy border and pierced floral and foliate design with a grotesque mask at the edge of the foot on the balance bridge. The foot is quite a bit wider than the diameter of the bridge indicating an early 18th century pattern. The engraved pattern in the crescent shaped, stepped down foot is similar to that seen in the balance cock itself. There is a silver Arabic marked regulator for adjusting the speed of the movement. The back plate is signed in script, “C Charleson, London, No. 1442.This is all done correctly.
CONDITION: Considering its age the movement remains in relatively good condition with some unwinding of the chain part of the fusee spring. Seems complete and original to me and has its problems with oxidation of the case and dial but all is there and perhaps even in running condition. Dial is missing its ‘poker’ minute hand. The outer case is in reasonably good condition although not hallmarked.
COMPARABLES:
~https://www.barnebys.com/realized-prices/lot/c-charleson-london-a-gold-pair-cased-watch-mvt-8478-english-circa-1740-Bt0JsiAnb5 (With some major alterations but in a chaste gold case this Charleson PAIR case watch sold in 2018 for $2371)
~https://www.barnebys.com/realized-prices/lot/c-charleson-london-ca-1720-verge-fusee-silver-pocket-watch-WjI9fcRJiI (Another silver pair case Charleson watch sold in 2005 for $1495)
~https://www.barnebys.com/realized-prices/lot/an-18th-century-pair-case-pocket-watch-the-silver-dial-with-roman--50D5_C-k8 (not pictured but this is same maker in a pair case with silver dial and a “deficient” outer case, which sold for $431 in 2016)
~https://www.barnebys.com/realized-prices/lot/a-lot-of-six-key-wind-pocket-watches-1K7IJwai3s (Six silver English pocket watches from the first half of the 18th century sold at Bonhams in 2013 for $2483)
~https://www.barnebys.com/realized-prices/lot/a-yellow-gold-pair-case-repousse-verge-watch-1734-DVO_GVkyp0 (GILT REPOUSSE CASE BY C Charleson, made in 1734 sold in 2012 for $5000.)
COMMENTS/PRICING:
There is very little known about the life of this particular watchmaker, but he appears to have been rather prolific for working at such an early time. His horological products do not command very high prices but they are substantial enough. I remain impressed by your watch and find it most interesting in that I find everything seeming to be genuine. Yes, there is a missing hand and there is oxidation, quite significant on the dial, but I have no real complaints about things such as blending of parts from different eras, etc. I believe that if offered in today’s watch market place, the fair market value of your pair cased watch would likely range in the $2000-$3000 price category. Whoever purchased this watch back in the 1960s, when so little was known, made a good find for himself. I do not know if it was you or a relative, but congratulations on owning such a fine English watch. I remain impressed by all that is right about this piece and I am used to seeing married pieces of all sorts, but apparently not here. Good luck with this piece.
Thank you for choosing mearto.com for your interesting pocket watch appraisal.
My best,
David