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.

Back

Side with hack feature switch

Cuvette

Case Stamps

D&M Hyams Manchester, No 43670

Hi Francesco

Nice Watch !

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

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

Ladies with red sweep second hands are nurses watch. They are designed to take pulses.