| A near mint solid silver, key-wind English lever pocket watch, and ticking away strongly and comes with a winding key and keeping good time. The watch signed under to the case and made by the Company of William Ehrhardt of Birmingham and a rare watch by this important English maker. This is a most unusual "goliath sized" pocket watch. The watch just cleaned and overhauled by my watch-maker and keeping very good time for a 100 year old pocket watch.This is a beautifully made English key-wound man's pocket watch, dating from ca. 1908, from the Edwardian period.
THE DIAL: 98% mint, the ivory enamel dial with bold black Roman numerals and in bright condition with no chips, and several faint hairlines at the edge of dial between 5-6.00. The dial with blue steel spade hands. Diameter is 48 mm. The crystal is also in excellent condition. The watch signed to the dial by H. Stone of Leeds
William Ehrhardt: The company was founded in 1856 in Birmingham and his addresses included 30, Paradise Street and 26, Augusta Street and from 1872 onwards at 72, Great Hampton Street. Their grades were from zero jeweled cheap and cheerful models, through to 15 jewel hand finished movements, and all the way up to Kew Grade "A" certificate and karrusel watches. They went bankrupt in 1924 during the economic depression of the period. See "Watches 1850-1980" by Cutmore pages 84 - 89 for more complete details. This company made a large number of watches for English retailers in the late 19th century.
THE MOVEMENT: 100% mint, with a gilt three quarter plate and a Bosely regulator, and blue steel screws. An uncut two arm bimetallic balance, with hairspring and lever escapement. The movement overall of very good quality. The watch ticking away on my desk as I type this, and keeping very good time for a 140 year old watch. The watch with number 562574. With the dial removed, the movement top-plate shows the "W E" trade-mark "arrow" of the Ehrhardt company and movement size of "22".
THE CASE: 100%, the solid silver case measures an impressive 56 mm. The front and rear covers are excellent, both are hinged and close nice and tightly. The case with London hall-marks and silver sterling marks . The case sponsor mark of "WE" for William Ehrhardt of 72, Great Hampton Street, Birmingham , case number of 62574, and number "5" possibly for the individual case batch or finisher. The watch of goliath size, so both winding and hand-set are accessed through the rear cover. This is a high quality English watch, a work of art in its own right in crisp condition and of jewel like quality. |
1898 William Ehrhardt KW Birmingham Watch
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