Watch

This pocket watch was made by Joseph Williamson, a successful watch and clock maker in the City of London. Williamson was made a Free Brother of the Clockmakers' Company in 1686 and went on to become Master in 1724. He is thought to have made watches for Philip V of Spain. In 1720 Williamson claimed to have invented the equation mechanism for clocks, which shows the variation between solar and mean time. In fact this type of clock was invented by Thomas Tompion in the late seventeenth century.

The watch has a gold pair case. The pierced inner case is engraved with a design of birds and animals in foliage. The outer case was made at a later date, presumably to replace an original which had worn out. The enammelled dial features steel hands of the 'beetle' and 'poker' type.