Left: Watch in brass by George Etherington (Master of the Clockmakers’ Company 1709); London, England, early 18th century; dia 1⅝” (4.13 cm.).
Right: watch in brass by J. Paulet; London, England, 1703; dia. 1¾” (4.45 cm.).
Once the minute hand gained popularity, it was fashionable for the figures denoting every five minutes to be nearly as large as the hour figures. The practice began in the late 17th century and lasted well into the 18th. These two watches illustrate this feature. Note the very short hour hands and the inner track denoting half hours. The dials at this time were still metal, the plain white enamel ones coming much later. Many watches of this period had their dials replaced later by enamel ones. The pendants should be noted.
