Just picket up another fusee to play with, this one is marked Edward Manley London, in Loomes it looks like he was in business in 1808.

Can John or someone interpret the case marks for me, I never can decipher the year code. It looks to me Sterling, London. Also any idea as to the case maker?

The watch seems like it should run with cleaning, it is a verge movement.

It is missing it's outer case & I will need a new hour hand & second hand.

Anyway I only paid $30.00 which to me was a good deal.

Tom

Case back

Movement

Case marks

Tom

You are right with Sterling, London

The year is 1814

This is the only 'T' in a shield with clipped top corners.
(Think we share the job: i chech te numbers and you dig out the names. Great respect!)

Gerald

Thanks Gerald, when I look at those letter codes I can always find at least two that look the same to me.

I found something on this watch that I haven't seen on other fusee that I have worked on. Does anyone know what it did, I noticed it when taking it apart to clean.

There is a small wire size pin that stick up into the edge of the movement.

Another view where it comes up into the movement.

This is where it attaches to the back under the dial

Then last, in the prior photo there is a bar that then sticks out past the dial, this then goes in a grove in the case.

I haven't seen this in other watches, and I can't figure out what it does.

Tom

I think it is a broken wire from a second stop mechanism which original stopped the balance in one position of the lever. So it may be an early doctors watch. I have not seen this on a verge but this start stop device is often found on center seconds movements at the end of the 19th century.(english lever).

Gerald

Thank you Gerald

Looks like you are correct, I have never seen this. After your post I stuck the second hand wheel back in & sure enough that is what it does. Now I will have to be sure to put this back together.

Tom

The 1st photo although a little blurry is the pin in the run position. This photo is with the lever moved into the stop position.

Tom

Nice catch Tom, certainly a stop watch arrangement, which in these cases is quite literal!

The casemaker is probably Edward Feline Jnr, 3.Georges Row, City Road. 1st reg'd 'EF'(in a shield) 25th July, 1794.

He then moved to 8,Pittman Buildings, City Road on 13,Oct 1795.

29th March 1814, he registered the incursive mark on your case, at 7, Serle Row, Bath St, St Lukes.

8th Jan 1821, again registered the same mark, but back at his old premises at 8,Pittman's Buildings.

Finally 4. Sept 1822 moved to 2, Gloucester St, Curtain Road.
EF incursive is only listed to this maker in my book.

Tom, let me know the diameter of the hour wheel, and the size of the square on the cannon pinion for the hands.
Also let me know the radius from the cannon centre to the inner of the numbers, and the outer chapter ring.

Also let me know the diameter of the seconds pinion and the radius of the chapter.

I can probably fix you up with either Gilt matched pair, or possibly Blued steel.
Seconds not sure, they're getting like hens teeth now!
It'll be a much later hand if I have one, but better than none at all.

Both type hand sets will most likely be 'Spade and Poker' rather than the 'Beetle and poker' style.

I have an outer case spare here, I'll check see what case diameter it will take.
It also has a neck to suit a round pendant rather than the oval type yours has, but it's a thick band so you may gat away with altering it.
It's Sterling silver hallmarked for London 1800.
Needs a small tear soldering plus a release button and sping catch making.

I'll post it on to you if you think you can use it!
Photo's of case below!

John

Back view

Open case

John

Thank you very much for your generous offers, I will get all that information to you.

Also, do you have any fusee chains, unfortunately this watch had stopped fully wound & when trying to let it down it slipped & the tension broke the hook that attaches to the fusee. If not can you repair these? I checked the extra chains I had & they are two short. I will send you an email with all the information & the length of the chain in case.

Also can any of you tell me why they made these with the stop works? What purpose did they serve?

Thanks again
Tom

Tom

They were used by doctors to mesure the heartbeats of their patients.

stop the watch at 0 seconds, start it again and count let's say 20 heartbeats, stop it again. You can calculate the beats per minute exactely.

In later times when watches kept time better than verges, start stops were used to synchronize two watches.

Sorry to see on your pictures that your watch needs a 'dentist' too. The second hand wheel misses one tooth. Lot of work to do, but this watch is worth all of it.

Regards Gerald

Gerald

Thanks for the info. & for spotting that tooth, I hadn't seen that. Will take some work to getting it going again.

I kind of thought that was the reason for the stop works but when my wife ( a nurse) asked & she didn't like my answer I thought I better check.

Tom

Tom, before you even think about putting it back together, you need to replace or repair the contrate "up-right teeth" wheel which has a missing tooth. Check out the gear train carefully because a broken off tooth generally means a shock has gone through the gear train, indicating there can be other damage.
The "hack" or motion stop works feature is a fairly common on these English fusees, though many were discarded over the years when serviced.
Another thing to remember when working on fusee's is when you let down the mainspring pre-load tension, count the number of clicks it was pre loaded so it can be pre loaded to the same tension again when re-assembled.
Fusee hooks can be made out of clock suspension steel, .006" thick. In the June 1986 Bulletin is a nice article on fusee chain repair, and how to make a new hook.
I enjoy working on these fusees, and get great satisfaction getting these old gals running again.
Harold

Harold

Thanks for the info. I too enjoy working on these, this one is going to be my most problems on one yet, so it may be just an exercise in problem solving & I may never get it going again, but for $30.00 I am not out much.

Tom

Tom, I've got a few chains, just need to check them for hooks on both ends, will also need to know the length, thickness and height of your broken one, as I've an assortment.

Missed that tooth completely!
It can be repaired by carefully letting in a piece of brass then hand shaping the tooth form to match the others.
It could have got snapped off when the fusee and chain 'let go'!
Not too difficult to do, just fiddly, I've repaired a few longcase and Fusee wall clock escape wheels in a similar way.

BTW, Is it the camera angle or are there a lot of teeth bent?

John