SUMMARY: 

A  mint and very rare condition solid silver late-18th century verge chain driven fusee consular cased pocket watch by John Rigby of London, fully serviced, overhauled and keeping good verge time. The watch with the rare feature of a heavy and substantial silver pair case with under-painted tortoiseshell outer cover in fabulous condition. The watch has been fully serviced and overhauled by my watchmaker. The watch comes from a private collection where it has clearly been looked after. 

The American colonials proclaimed no taxation without representation starting with the Stamp Act Congress in 1765. They had no representatives in the British Parliament and so rejected Parliament's authority to tax them. Protests steadily escalated to the Boston Massacre in 1770 and the burning of the Gaspee in Rhode Island in 1772, followed by the Boston Tea Party in December 1773. The British responded by closing Boston Harbor and enacting a series of punitive laws which effectively rescinded Massachusetts Bay Colony's rights of self-government. The other colonies rallied behind Massachusetts, and a group of American Patriot leaders set up their own government in late 1774 at the Continental Congress to coordinate their resistance of Britain; other colonists retained their allegiance to the Crown and were known as Loyalists or Tories.

Tensions erupted into battle between Patriot militia and British regulars when King George's forces attempted to destroy American military supplies at Lexington and Concord on April 19, 1775. The conflict quickly escalated into war, during which the Patriots (and later their French allies) fought the British and Loyalists in the Revolutionary War. Each of the thirteen colonies formed a Provincial Congress which assumed power from the former colonial governments, suppressed Loyalism, and recruited a Continental Army led by General George Washington. The Continental Congress declared King George a tyrant who trampled the colonists' rights as Englishmen, and they declared the colonies free and independent states on July 2, 1776. The Patriot leadership professed the political philosophies of liberalism and republicanism to reject monarchy and aristocracy, and they proclaimed that all men are created equal.

The Patriots attempted to invade Canada during the winter of 1775–76 without success, expecting like-minded colonists in British Canada to rally to the cause. The newly created Continental Army forced the British military out of Boston in March 1776, but the British captured New York City and its strategic harbor that summer, which they held for the duration of the war. The Royal Navy blockaded ports and captured other cities for brief periods, but they failed to destroy Washington's forces. The Continental Army captured a British army at the Battle of Saratoga in October 1777, and France then entered the war as an ally of the United States. Britain then refocused its war to make France the main enemy. Britain also attempted to hold the Southern states with the anticipated aid of Loyalists, and the war moved south. Charles Cornwallis captured an army at Charleston, South Carolina in early 1780, but he failed to enlist enough volunteers from Loyalist civilians to take effective control of the territory. Finally, a combined American and French force captured a second British army at Yorktown in the fall of 1781, effectively ending the war. The Treaty of Paris was signed September 3, 1783, formally ending the conflict and confirming the new nation's complete separation from the British Empire. The United States took possession of nearly all the territory east of the Mississippi River and south of the Great Lakes, with the British retaining control of Canada, and Spain taking Florida.

UNUSUAL FEATURES The watch in simply magnificent condition and from a private collection where it has clearly been looked after very well.  Watches from this period with no pin holes, excess solder filling or stretch marks are very uncommon today.  The watch is best described as a time-capsule from the 18th century in simply stunning condition.

THE DIAL: 98% mint, the  sepia coloured enamel dial with black Roman numerals in stunning condition with no hairlines, but a small surface mark to dial edge at 1.00. Finely made and deep sculpted beetle and poker hands. The bullseye glass in very fine condition, with a small edge chip. Diameter is 35 mm. The dial shows an English sailor saying goodbye to his sweetheart before leaving to fight for King and Country in the new colonies in America.

THE MOVEMENT: 100% mint, with richly gilded full plate in wonderful condition. The well engraved and carved rococo style balance cock and large foot in superb condition with horn of plenty  to the  balance cock foot with beautifully engraved rococco design. The back plate with further gilded decoration and finely made silvered Tompion time regulator plate with finely pierced and decorated additional plate and do note the decoration around the time regulator plate. The watch signed, John Rigby of London, number 160. The watch is key-wind, comes with a key and is ticking very strongly indeed and movement size is 34 mm diameter.  

The movement with square ballustar pillars. Polished steel movement bolt with its original blued steel ornate screw. Pierced gilded fusee stop work with iron hinge. The movement with several high quality features. These consist of the fusee ratchet on the outside of the fusee, the third wheel is positioned at the top of the movement and the mainspring setup is under the dial. The screws are original, and the gilding is still bright and fresh. 

THE CASE 100% mint, the beautifully finished silver and tortoishell pair case measures 50 mm outside diameter.  The five knuckle square outer case hinge is excellent with the case closing tight and like-wise the inner case hinge also closes tight and measures 43 mm, with inner watch papers as shown. The inner case with case maker mark of IW. The pendant and bow, in superb condition, the case button lightly worn as normally found.  The surface is complete and in very fine and bright condition. The case of heavy gauge and a good weight and feel in the pocket.