No 1844

A thirty hour duration watch set in a silver case.

The watch has a single train, full plate, gilt brass, four pillar capped fusee movement with a table roller, ratchet tooth lever escapement and maintaining power. It has a plain balance cock with a diamond endstone in a blued-steel setting. It also has a polished steel balance with a blued-steel, flat spiral balance spring and Bosley regulator. The balance pivots, roller and pallets are jewelled. The stop piece at 7 o'clock acting on the fourth wheel.

The upper plate is engraved with the words 'Fast Slow' along with a row of arrow-heads and 'No 1844'. The watch has a gilt brass cap and a cream enamel dial with small Roman hour numerals and Arabic five minute numerals. It also has a subsidiary seconds dial with Arabic ten second numerals. The main face has gold spade and poker hands as well as a blued-steel counterbalanced seconds hand, however, the minute hand is probably a replacement.

The watch has a silver open face case with an engine turned back and reeded band, internally gilt. It also has a plain silver pendant and bow as well as an engraved decorated winding hole. The dome is engraved with the words 'Presented by Captn F. R. M. Crozier. R.N. TO Sergt W K Cunningham R.M. as mark of esteem', and has a stamped incuse inside the dome with '1844'.

The watch has been hallmarked 'Chester 1829-1830' with a makers cameo stamp 'R L' and rhomboid shaped stamp. Scratched inside case back is '(?)165'.

The pendant is stamped with a lion passant cameo and the dial has convex glass covering it.

The watch was worn by Captain Francis Rawdon Moira Crozier when commanding 'H.M.S. Terror' in the Antarctic (1839-43) and was subsequently presented to his shipmate Sergeant Cunningham.

Object Details

ID: JEW0221
Collection: Decorative art
Type: Watch
Display location: Display - Polar Worlds Gallery
Creator: Anonymous
Events: Antarctic Exploration: James Clark Ross's voyage, 1838-1843
Date made: 1829-1830
People: Crozier, Francis Rawden Moira; Cunningham, William Keating
Credit: National Maritime Museum, Greenwich, London.
Measurements: Overall: 75 x 51 x 20 mm
Parts: No 1844