Watch, duplex watch

This highly unusual duplex watch was made for use at sea and features a ship's striking bell for each watch. There are typically six watches on board a ship with the sixth being divided into two 'dog watches' to allow sailors to have an evening meal. The watch has a gold hunter case engraved with a sailing ship and a lighthouse on the front. On the back there is an engraving of a ship, anchor, capstan, sextant, trident and a marine chronometer. The hour hand of the watch is also trident-shaped. The watch would have been custom-made for a maritime client.

The McCabe firm was founded by James McCabe, an Irish watchmaker who emigrated to London from Belfast in around 1780. McCabe came from a family of clock and watchmakers originally from County Armagh in the north of Ireland. His first London premises were on Fleet Street where he specialised in making fine quality watches for the Indian market. He moved to the Royal Exchange in 1804. After James McCabe's death in 1811 the business was continued by his sons, Robert and James. Robert's son, Robert Jeremy McCabe, later took over the company and ran it until his retirement in 1883 when he closed the shop at the Royal Exchange. In the course of its history the McCabe firm made or sold around 30, 000 watches.

The watch case was manufactured by the Swiss maker, Alfred Stram, who had a workshop on Lower Ashby Street in Clerkenwell. This area was strongly associated with the clock and watch trade from 1800 and many component makers were based there. Stram was the regular supplier of cases to the McCabe company in this period.