A9413

Silver English Lever with Lund's Patent Key

£925.00

Signed  Lund Bros 41 Cornhill London
Hallmarked London   1877
A 19th Century English fusee lever with detachable key.
Diameter   51 mm         

Out of stock

Description

A 19th Century English fusee lever with detachable key.  Gilt three quarter plate keywind movement with fusee and chain.  Harrison's maintaining power.  Engraved cock with diamond endstone, polished steel regulator, silver sector index.  Compensation balance with blue steel spiral hairspring. English table roller lever escapement.  Signed white enamel dial with subsidiary seconds, Roman numerals, blue steel seconds hand, gold hands.   Faded engine turned silver open face case with ribbed middle, the movement hinging out.  The watch has the appearance of being keyless as it has a winding crown.  This is the detachable key: It pulls out of the pendant and may be used to set the hands or wind the watch.  Maker's mark “SF” in a rectangle and number corresponding to that on the movement.

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 succesful, 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

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