I always wanted one very old watch in my collection. Till something better comes along this is it. Marked John Peterkin of London no 307 but I can not make out the hallmarks in the case. To date I have found 1 other made by him with a no of 876 and dated to 1824. He is supposed to have operated from 1809 to 1847 so this one must be around 1815 give or take a bit. It runs but the dial is rough and the watch has been got at in the past. I have preserved it as best I can and perhaps one day someone will do it justice. For now it is the Grandpa of my collection.

The dial is not origional but the best I could find so far. There are not many around with winding holes in them.

I have the origional dust cover. These are often lost I am told.

Nice decoration inside the movement. It is a verge fussee.

I got this from an auction house in South Australia. Where it came from is unknown. Perhaps a migrant to Australia brought it with him when he moved here.

Britten lists John Peterkin, 25 Cleveland St. 1810-40. I would have dated the movement earlier.

Take a look at http://www.antique-watch.com/des/w8256.html This dates from 1775.

I am still learning how to date these things.

There should be more than one set of hallmarks on the case. Make sure you check each cover.

I don't know if you have seen this http://www.montpellierclocks.com/johnpeterkinlondon_12.php

Don

Thanks for the link. It is nice to see something else made by this maker. There are several sets of marks in the case but they are not good enough to make out. An expert may perhaps recognise them but it is beyond me. The silver mark is easy to see but the date letter is very faint.

Hey Stephan, A beautiful example with awesome pierced and engraved plates and bridge cock. One today just can't imagine the labor of love and time that went into such timepieces. Definitely a work of art! Thanks for sharing.

Joe