Johann Christopher Strigel

Johann Christopher Strigel, Krailsheim (Germany), circa 1700. Very fine and rare silver pair cased watch with wandering hour dial, made for the English market. Outer double body, the back with fluted repoussé decoration centred with a rosette. Inner bassine, polished with split bezel. Silver with a champlevé Arabic minute sector on the border of a slot, pointed by Roman hour numerals in the revolving aperture and showing the quarters on the inner border. Applied pierced and engraved gilt brass scrolled decoration with a cartouche for the town. Hinged gilt brass full plate with elaborate pierced and engraved pillars, fusee with chain, verge escapement, plain steel three-arm balance, flat balance spring, English style gilt brass cock pierced and engraved with foliage. Signed on the back plate. In very good condition. Diam. 56 mm. Notes Watches with wandering hour dial were much in favour in England toward the end of the XVIIth century. A fine watch of this type, by Peter Garon, with a very similar case, the dial engraved with the coat of arms of the Royal family, is illustrated by Cecil Clutton on the ninth edition of Britten's Old Clocks and Watches and their Makers, page 142, plate 88. Several watchmakers bearing the rame of Strigel are recorded by Baillie as working in London along the XVIII century, they could be descendants of Johann Christopher Strigel, who apparently was working for the English market.