Antique, 1833, Edward Prior, Silver 3 Case Pocket Watch & Turkish type Albert Chain
IMPORTANT : SALE PRICE, FOR SHORT PERIOD ONLY. This Rare Museum grade p/watch measures 62mm in diameter (80 with loop) a fine fusee verge gents 3 case pocket watch by Edward Prior, made for the Ottoman (Turkish) market, Overall in excellent condition & working, winds up properly & ticking nicely, weighing 142 grams. The cosmetic condition of this p/watch really is superb for this type & for it’s age being an early one of Edward Prior. Starting with the watch itself the inner silver case is hallmarked for London 1833 with the case maker JD. It’s in superb condition with only the usual minor age related edge wear of little importance & some very minor dings. (please look at & enlarge photo’s as they are a large part of my description) The dial is original signed Edward Prior, London & excellent with hardly noticeable only under loop very light hairline & some age related surface scratches as pictured, the class crystal is domed & appears to be the original, the hands too are the beetle poker type & appear to be original too. The second silver case bears the same makers mark & London hallmarks as the inner case, it’s in near mint condition with attractive bright cut detail round the middle & edges, The third case the pin work shell case is also superb with approx. 4 pin heads missing & only very minor surface wear & a couple of surface chips which hardly show at all. All hinges & catches are in good working order. The fusee movement winds smoothly & runs well. It bears the early serial number of 50550. It has not been serviced for years so no timekeeping guarantees at all are offered. The movement is also signed with the makers name Edwd Prior & has typical stunning pierced & engraved balance cock & scroll decorated pillars associated with Priors work. It has a couple of service papers for 1865, 6 & 8. Even though at the moment this p/watch winds & ticks ok & the balance is fine etc. It does wind & tick away though so no real problems just needs a service. This p/watch comes with a super silver , period Turkish market albert chain with 5 strands & central slider also heart fob medal & tassle with all balls on ends six altogether, has fancy tbar & working dog clip, This chain tests silver, probably European, dating from approx, early Georgian era c1810 to mid Victoria era c1870, so 19th Century fancy Ottoman/European albert chain (see pictures for more information) Chain measures 245mm & extra 70mm of chain with tassle & weighs 31.6 grams. Some information about Edward Prior. Edward Prior was a maker of some repute especially in p/watches for the Ottoman (Turkish) market. He has pocket watches in the Ilbert & Dennison collection also the, Feill & Frankel collections. He also has watches in the British Museum & Metropolitan Museum of Arts, New York. He worked & was associated in business with his father George Prior, who were sons of John , who in turn was the son of William of Nessfield Otley, West Yorkshire. John received 6 awards from the society of Arts & George a maker of repute himself especially watches for the Turkish market received 2 awards from the Society of Arts & has 3 case watches like this in the Science Museum South Kensington also a tortoise shell 3 case p/watch like this one in the Victoria & Albert Museum South Kensington & a 3 case p/watch in the Metropolitan Museum of Arts, New York. All made in association with Edward, his son. George Prior born 22nd March 1735 apprenticed to his Uncle Thomas Prior of Prescot Street, London c1750 -57. In August 1787 he bought the substantial manor House called “The Lawns” at Sydenham nr Lewisham. George Prior died on 23rd April 1814 aged 79. Note; (watches after this date were very quickly signed by his son) Edward Prior born 25th Dec 1780 died 4th March 1859. He lived in London at 48 York Terrace, Regents Park & at Halse Manor House, Somerset & is buried at Halse. George Prior (Edwards father) 1793 -830. Edward Prior 1800 -1868. They worked in conjunction with each other & also Edward carried on the watchmaking business especially for the Turkish market. This is a superb set with a super rare maker & type of pocket watch, it comes in 3 cases the inner two Silver with matching hallmarks & the outer with tortoise shell finish. It has a lovely silver 5 strand slider albert chain with tassle & heart shaped fob medal to go with it, which I think finishes this off beautifully. A must have for any pocket watch lover, enthusiast or collector & can only increase in value due to its maker & the short supply which will only get less & especially in such fine condition. Etc All are checked overnight & are ticking away unless stated. NO GUARANTEE can be given, on parts or future timekeeping though, with these old antique pocket watches. Please don’t hesitate to contact me if you have any further questions. The item “Antique, 1833, Edward Prior, Silver 3 Case Pocket Watch & Turkish type Albert Chain” is in sale since Sunday, June 25, 2017. This item is in the category “Antiques\Silver\Solid Silver\Pocket Watches/Chains/Fobs”. The seller is “bazchap” and is located in Leeds, West Yorkshire. This item can be shipped to United Kingdom, Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria, Croatia, Cyprus, Czech republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Ireland, Italy, Latvia, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta, Netherlands, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden, Australia, United States, Brazil, Japan, New Zealand, China, Israel, Hong Kong, Norway, Indonesia, Malaysia, Mexico, Singapore, South Korea, Thailand, Canada.
- Maker: Edward Prior, London
- Product: Pocket Watch, Albert Chain & Fob Medal
- Age: 1800-1849
- Composition: Silver & shell