Lot 237

Christopher Gould, London, Movement No. 543, 53 mm, 147 g, circa 1700
An English pair-cased hour repeating verge pocket watch with hour selfstrike
Case: outer case covered with tortoiseshell, stud decoration, inner case silver, richly florally engraved and pierced, rear bell. Dial: silver, gilt. Movm.: full plate movement, chain/fusee, florally engraved barrel for striking train, 2½-arm steel balance, fine florally engraved, pierced balance cock.
Certainly not an everyday design: The winding stem passes through the balance, which means it would collide with a third arm of the balance. A sophisticated solution sees the third arm replaced by a counterweight and retains the equilibrium.
We know some pocket watches by Christopher Gould, but he is mainly famous for a number of exquisite longcase clocks. Gould became a member of the Clockmaker's Company of London in 1682. He had premises in the area of the Royal Exchange, which he had to close in 1706 due to lack of funds. In later years he became a bailiff. Christopher Gould died around 1718.

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