Description
A rare 19th Century English reverse fusee freesprung lever with power reserve by Frodsham in a silver open face case with Lund’s patent winding. Gilt half plate keywind movement with reverse fusee and chain. Harrison’s maintaining power. Plain cock with diamond endstone, heavy compensation balance with freesprung blue steel overcoil hairspring. English double roller lever escapement. Screwed in jewelling, escape, lever and seconds pivots with endstones. Signed and numbered white enamel dial with subsidiaries power reserve and seconds, Roman numerals, fine blue steel fleur-dis-lis hands. Plain silver open face case, wound and set through the silver cuvette. Maker’s mark "HMF" in an oval and number corresponding to that on the movement. The gilt button is fitted with Lund’s patent winding, a short steel shaft with a square. This is secured in the case when the back is closed by a steel pin.
An interesting high quality deck watch in excellent condition with the exception of the dial which has a small local repair at eight o'clock. Surprisingly the case is a later replacement. Although the case is made by Frodsham and bears the movement number engraving "Fecit AD 1863" under the dial reveals the movement was made in 1863, eleven years earlier. The explanation is almost certainly that the owner wished to have Lund's patent winding fitted which was not available until 1870. Returned to Frodsham a new case was made rather than adapting the original. Mr. A. J. Lund patented the feature of the detachable key on 29th March 1870, (No. 914). It was probably intended to provide an inexpensive answer to keyless going barrel watches while retaining a fusee. The idea did not seem successful, very few of these watches surviving. They were made by Usher & Cole and often marketed under the name of Lund Bros from the premises of Barraud & Lund at 41 Cornhill. See Paul Phillipe Barraud by Cedric Jagger, page 72. The inclusion of an endstone to the seconds pivot indicates this was intended for use as a deck watch as the feature would be of little use when worn in the pocket. Very few marine chronometers are fitted with an endstone to the seconds pivot. Casemaker Harrison Mill Frodsham, 84 Strand
