Hi everyone, I recently purchased an English doctors watch, with a hack feature, I don't know much about it accept that it was made around 1877 and its a doctors watch, so I was wondering if you experienced horologists would know anything about it. Best regards Francesco.
Posts: 226 | Location: Johannesburg, South Africa | Registered: November 19, 2012
Hallmarked London; Sterling silver; 1877. Makers mark is not readable to me ( something ending with W).
D & S Hyams were David and Manis Hyams, Jewellers 61 Queen's-crescent; Haverstock Hill. Their partnership was disoolved apr 9th 1888.
The movement is the typical british 3/4 movement with the known plain look. The escapement has a right angle lever and likely a pointed tooth escape wheel.
The so called 'Doctor's watches' were polular in the United Kingdoms second half 19th century. They had a sweep second or better a center second and a hacking mechanism (start stop). The mechanism was simply a thin wire attached to the switch that stops the balance. Disadvantage of this mechanism: it stops the watch so the time sync is lost. Advantage one could stop and measure short time periods. I do not know if the hacking was used more often to realy stop for measurement or to sync the watch to an accurate clock.
Regards Gerald
Posts: 742 | Location: Wertheim in Germany | Registered: February 21, 2009
Francesco, Nice watch. I've wondered about the term "doctor's watch" as well (although not enough to actually research it ), so thanks for posting this. Evan
Posts: 995 | Location: Pleasanton, California in the USA | Registered: September 22, 2012
), so thanks for posting this.