Hi, new to the forum and hoping to get some help in identifying the hallmarks on a pocket watch my uncle has.
I’ve been researching for a couple of days but can’t find much information on them.
Have attached a picture of the hallmarks, hopefully it’s good enough quality to make them out clearly.
Thanks in advance.
This is a Chester hallmark with the date letter C for the assay year 1903/04. The case maker, RG, is Robert Gravenor of Coventry, a centre for watch case manufacture.
Phil
Thanks Phil, really appreciate the quick response and the details.
When "J.R "shows up on 19th century or later horological material its usually John Rotherham trading as Rotherham & Sons, watch & watchcase manufacturers, 4 Spon (SIC) Street, Coventry. UK
Since you have usurped space on someone else’s earlier post, I presume you are looking for Phil, who answered a similar question on the principal watch, to answer yours too.
He has on a previous posts on other JR Cases:
The Coventry company became one of the few English companies to mass-produce watches using automatic machinery, similar to American factories, in the final quarter of the 19th century.
The case is for a ladiy’s enamel dial watch and the maker will likely be confirmed on the mechanism.
The company became one of the few English companies to mass-produce watches using automatic, steam-driven machinery in direct competition to the American factories in the 19th century.
The only date letter I can make out is an “h”, likely 1882 if it’s a Birmingham mark on the chain clasp or 1863 if it is a London mark. By the style of watch the Birmingham mark.
It’s important to remember that in the watchmaking industry, the term “maker” could refer to a large company or an individual specialist within a larger system of manufacturing.
Nice watch to have. Does it keep time?
CRWW
Hello , thank you for responding so soon. Unfortunately the watch doesn’t keep time and would probably need to take it to a watch repairer to have a look at it. I don’t even know how it’s powered. There’s no winder. Battery inside?
Do these types of pocket watches have any value? There is initials LMC engraved in the middle. It was obviously made specifically for someone.
I got it open. More photos atrached. Now I know what the key is for. Silly me. Looks like there are more hallmarks too.
Regards
Amanda
The case and therefore almost certainly the movement are Swiss and not precisely dateable; they may not be contemporaneous with the chain. Note that the silver standard, as is normal for Swiss watch cases of the period, is a higher than sterling 935. JR is most likely James Rooker, a specialist gold and silver chain maker of Warstone Lane, Birmingham. The assay location and date, as Guildhall has said, are Birmingham 1882.
Phil
Ah that’s a lot better view and does allow for the conclusion it is, as so much then was, Swiss rather than UK made.
As to utility and value, it’s certainly worth a trip for a watch maker. Looking at the works now you have the back open, it seems likely the oils have simply sludged or dried up and what it now needs is a thorough cleaning.
The good news is because the Swiss made these watches from something that amounted to a Canton assembly line, passing the watch from one specialist parts producer to another and because the parts were standardized, it will be easy to replace anything missing, a balance wheel or spring if it cannot be rewound for instance.
Your watch probably owes its survival to the silver rather than gold or even gold-filled case.
So not being expensive is rather a good thing!
CRWW
