Antique Silver John Forrest Pocket Watch and Chain

An antique silver John Forrest fusee pocket watch and chain.

The watch has a fusee (chain driven) movement which is working nicely. The movement is protected by an inner fitted cover which is signed John Forrest, London.

The watch measures 58mm diameter excluding the stem and the loop so bigger than a standard 50mm pocket watch. The case is silver and there are hallmarks inside all three of the covers for Chester 1898 with a case maker's mark for the silversmith Albert Curtis of Coventry. The case has a few fairly minor indentations but overall very acceptable for a piece of its age. The front and back would have had engine turned detail but years of use means that only traces remain.

The small button on the top of the stem pushes in to open the front cover. Inside there is a later acrylic lens. The original glass lenses were often replaced with acrylic as it is much more durable.

The dial is signed John Forrest, London. It is in very nice condition.

Forrest started out as a true English craftsman, making a small number of relatively high quality watches. Later on he became much more of a retailer than a maker. Forrest died in 1871, but watches with the "John Forrest" name continued to be sold for nearly half a century.

The watch comes with a single silver chain, 31.5cm long including the T-bar and the clasp, and a good weight at 69g including the fob which contains an 1887 sixpence... the coin section swivels within the outer frame but it is quite tight.

The watch and chain will be sent in a new presentation box.

Free worldwide shipping

ALL PRICES INCLUDE UK POSTAGE (because of GPSR legislation, we no longer post items less than 100 years old to Europe, including Northern Ireland).

Please contact us regarding international shipping.

All of our watches are checked over before listing, and are also checked for accuracy which is usually within around +/- two to three minutes over 24 hours (unless otherwise stated), which is considered respectable for a vintage watch.

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Credit / debit card purchases up to £300 can be made over the telephone on 01386 750238 or you can proceed via the 'Purchase Antique' button on each listing page. Alternatively, there is a Paypal payment link if you scroll down the page and we also accept bank transfers.

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With regards to appraisals / valuations, we receive a huge number of information requests each day and unfortunately do not have the manpower to deal with them all individually. Our advice would be to contact a local auctioneer for a full appraisal.