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Object:Verge watch in silver inner case, by Jas Shearwood, London, c.1759


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This watch by Jas Shearwood is in a silver inner case with a shagreen outer case, hallmarked 1759. The watch has a silver dial and calendar. As with most early watches, the timekeeping is controlled by a verge escapement. Only the wealthy could afford pocketwatches in the eighteenth century. They were the most intricate mechanical devices made for sale and represented the highest quality of mechanical work then performed.

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