Coventry Co-operative Watch Manufacturing Society 1894 Pocket Watch

[catch21]

That’s lovely, wonderfully clear uncluttered dial.

[Geralt]

Now that is a beautiful thing. Mark Wiles deserves much credit for the restoration. Interesting history, too. Thanks for posting. Presumably an owner could very easily regulate the timekeeping. One thing that's always puzzled me is the reasoning behind the spacing for the weights on balance wheels (not just this watch), but I suspect it's not a simple answer!

[sundial]

Now that is a beautiful thing. Mark Wiles deserves much credit for the restoration. Interesting history, too. Thanks for posting. Presumably an owner could very easily regulate the timekeeping. One thing that's always puzzled me is the reasoning behind the spacing for the weights on balance wheels (not just this watch), but I suspect it's not a simple answer!

Easier to poise if screw spacings are asymmetrical? Maybe a forum watchmaker can answer?

[sweets]

Lovely. But that date letter K is not London 1885, I think.
The shape of the outline is wrong
That K in a square stamp with chamfered corners is (for London, and that is surely London'd outline of a Leopard's head) is 1805. 1885 would be a shield-shaped stamp.
Maybe I am reading it wrong, but it certainly looks like that.

[sundial]

Lovely. But that date letter K is not London 1885, I think.
The shape of the outline is wrong
That K in a square stamp with chamfered corners is (for London, and that is surely London'd outline of a Leopard's head) is 1805. 1885 would be a shield-shaped stamp.
Maybe I am reading it wrong, but it certainly looks like that.

Something is 'not quite right' with the hallmarks. I'm planning to try and reveal more original detail by taking an infrared photo.

BW, dunk

[magirus]

Something is 'not quite right' with the hallmarks. I'm planning to try and reveal more original detail by taking an infrared photo.

BW, dunk

Now that will be interesting Dunk, look forward to your results.

[sundial]

Something is 'not quite right' with the hallmarks. I'm planning to try and reveal more original detail by taking an infrared photo.

BW, dunk

Hallmark anomaly now solved thanks to advice received from MWR members. Transpired that higher carat gold hallmarks have different shaped background to those stamped on silver and lower carat gold. So the CCWMS 18 carat gold case hallmark conforms to 1885.

https://www.vintagewatchstraps.com/c...s.php#cautions ... See 'Date Letters Cautions'

BW, dunk

[magirus]