Antique 20K Gold Repousse Pair Case Verge Fusee Pocket Watch with Keys CA1765

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Antique 20K Gold Repousse Pair Case Verge Fusee Pocket Watch with Keys CA1765:
$3900.00

20K Gold Repousse Pair CaseVerge Fusee Pocket Watch with Keys
Cabrier; London, England; Man\'s; Serial #4,417; Circa: 1765
Complications: Early verge.
CASE: This 14-size #4,417 open face pair case is 20K yellow-gold with repousse decorations.
DIAL: The white porcelain dial has Roman numerals and poker hands.
MOVT: This keyset #4,417 gilt verge escapement has a full plate layout and is signed.
C 3-15 (The case is in very good condition-slightly worn)
D 3 (The dial is in very good condition)
M 3 (The movement is in very good condition)
R 8 ½ (Rarity on a scale of #1 being very common to #10 being extremely rare)
Experts Opinion: Very nice 20K repousse verge pair case. Excellent movement and runs fine! AI-172-29te

Pair Case
Higher end early verge fusee watches were often in a pair case. Pair case refers to when a pocket watch is placed within another case (nesting), therefore two cases. The outter protective case is often very decorative. There are also watches, such as those made for the Turkish Market, that had up to four cases, each nesting perfectly within each other and keeping the inner watch safe from damage.

Key-wind/Key-set Movements
The very first pocket watches up until the third quarter of the 19th century had key-wind and key-set movements. A watch key was necessary to wind the watch and to set the time. This was usually done by opening the case back and putting the key over the winding-arbor (which was set over the watch\'s winding-wheel, to wind the mainspring) or by putting the key onto the setting-arbor, which was connected with the minute-wheel and turned the hands. Some watches of this period had the setting-arbor at the front of the watch, so that removing the crystal and bezel was necessary to set the time.

This watch includes a reproduction of the correct size key, it is not the original.

Verge Fusee Escapement
Used in antique spring-powered mechanical watches and clocks, a fusee is a cone-shaped pulley with a helical groove around it, wound with a cord or chain which is attached to the mainspring barrel. Fusees were used from the 15th century to the early 20th century to improve timekeeping by equalizing the uneven pull of the mainspring as it ran down. The mainspring is coiled around a stationary axle (arbor), inside a cylindrical box, the barrel. The force of the spring turns the barrel.

Full Plate Layout
A plate (or disc) that covers the works and supports the wheels pivots. There is a top plate, a bottom plate, half, and 3/4 plate. The top plate has the balance resting on it.

Repoussé or Repoussage
Repousse is a metalworking technique in which a malleable metal is ornamented or shaped by hammering from the reverse side to create a design in low relief. It is also known as embossing.