G'Day guys from down under.
I have recently inherited this pocket watch from my late uncle. I remember him telling me he was leaving it to me and that it was "very old" back in the late 1960s. Aparently it was his and my dads great great grandfathers and has been handed down to the eldest son for several generations. What I am wondering is if anyone can tell me a bit about the likely maker and the likely date of manufacture. Uncle Pete knew it was old but I don't think he knew how old or anything else about it. He did have it repaired by a retired watchmaker he knew and aparently he shortened the broken chain and it now runs for about 6 hours, I don't think the watchmaker could have told him anything about it and if he did Pete never told me so I thought I would ask here if anyone either knew something or could direct me to a site that may be able to help. I think it has English hallmarks and the family came from northern England so I am prety shure its English. It has 4 marks that I can see, largest is an "18" with a crown above it on a background like a toombstone, rounded on top around the crown and flat on the bottom under the 18. I gather this means 18 carret gold ! To the right of this is letter "C" in a background that is square with all 4 of the corners slightly "chamfered" (just cut slightly away on the corners). On the other side of the 18 is the "leopards head" or what I think is the leopards head, it is wearing a crown but because of the size I can't see a lot of the details.The last mark is stamped in above the crown &18 and has no background, it's just IG stamped in quite deeply almost like it is engraved, I suspect this is something to do with the maker but realy don't know. I tried to take a photo of the hallmarks but my camera cant take a photo that close, and neither can my brothers so until I find a closup capable camera I can only show photos of the watch itself.
Apart from "Pocket watch", what is the correct name for this style of timepiece ?



I hope these pictures will post, this site seems to handle a bit differently to the others I use.
Thanks for looking,
Graham

the picture with the bezel open ,there is a spring loaded clip at 6:00,carefully depress it with your fingernail towards the center of the dial and the movement will swing out. Then you should see a brass cap over the back of the movement,and it has a sliding clip on it. If you slide it using the pin it will come off and you will see the movement , and any name that is on it.When you are done carefully set the brass cap back in place and slide the catch to lock it. Then tilt the movement back in and snap it shut

Thanks Tom, BOY that was a bit scary !!!
I could see it could be done by other posts on the sight, but I wasn't game enough to try and do it without knowing how ! If theres one thing I dont want to do its damage it so it will always be steady steady when I am doing anything to this.
I opened up the back and under the cover just as you said there is the name "Jamison & Co" London No 7025.
I think its "Jamison" although looking at it what I am reading as a "J" could also be an "L" making it "Lamison" (but I don't think so)

I have a meeting to go to at the moment but when I get back I will take another photo. One of my mates who "should" be at the meeting has a very swank camera, I will try and borrow it to take a closeup.

Thanks again,
Graham

I still havn't found a closeup capable camera yet but I have taken a couple more with my own camera and this is a few shots of the watch "opened"
I still hope to get a camera that can show details soon and when/if I can I will post better photos.
Graham

The watch is an early fusee with what looks like a diamond end stone on the balance ,in a wonderful 18k case,and which I suspect to have been made by George Jamison, a highly respected watch and chronometer maker and partner of P.P.Barraud and Wm.Howells in the manufacture of Mudge's Timekeepers up to 1799. There was one other Jamison that Baillie shows in London,Charles, but he was not so well ranked a watchmaker. Jamison marked his chronometers"Chronometer Maker to the High Commanders of the Navy". It looks to me to be a high quality timepiece,perhaps the European experts will chirp in but a very nice piece!!!

Thanks Tom, at last I have found a maker, or at least got it down to a likely choice of two. I did a bit of online "googling" after first reading your last post but I havn't found very much information about either George or Charles Jamison but I will keep looking, there must be something on the net about them. I gather its most likely made late 18th century by the sound of it, that makes it older than I was expecting, I had a look at a couple of hallmark sites, but I am afraid I couldn't figure out a date, they seem to contradict themselves on the date letters.
By the way, what is the signifigance of this "diamond end stone on the balance" you speak of, and is it different some way to usual practice ?
My mate Roger with the camera I wanted to borrow came over with it but he can't take a real closeup either, not with the lens's he currently has anyway, but he tells me another bloke I know quite well has one that should do it so I will find out if he will photograph the movement and hallmarks for me. Is there any part of the movement that is of more interest to experts that may know something, so I can make shure I get that area as clear as possible?
Thanks for the help Tom,
Graham

as a general rule the diamond balance endstone was only used on better quality watches, diamonds being harder and longer lasting and more expensive than the rubys and sapphires usually used on watches. The endstone is the jewel in the center above the balance wheel , and is a mark of quality, and a diamond endstone is clear or off clear in colour rather than blue or red,so easy to tell. The picture wasn't great but it did not appear to be red or blue
I got what I posted from Baillie's Watchmakers and Clockmakers of the World, one of the accepted trustworthy books in general accepted use. This guy,if it was George , was in pretty good company, as his partners were above average guys,and making Mudge's clocks makes them pretty special to guys like me

I think you may be right Tom, I found a site (which I have since lost) that had an auction result for a clock by George Jamison and in the photo you could see that "IG" mark, so I "hope" it turns out to be him, he sounds like an interesting craftsman. I am glad it turned out to be an interesting story and it makes it so much better to be able to record it so when I pass it on to my Nephew (I don't have a son) he will at least know a bit of its history of manufacture.
Thanks Tom, you have been very helpfull.

Graham.
PS
I will still post closeups when I can get some

I wish I was your nephew Graham !!!