Courtesy of Sotheby’s
It
is an 18ct yellow gold open-faced quarter repeater with calendar. The three quarter gilt plate lever movement is
numbered 3807. It features a diamond
endstone. There are subsidiary dials for: seconds; day; date; month. The hallmarks are for
Chester, 1862. The case maker's mark is GR,
(probably George Roberts of Liverpool). Diameter
is 55 mm.
It
has a very unusual feature in its repeater mechanism – the speed with which the
gongs are struck is adjustable by the user by means of a lever on the top
plate.
The
watch is of an ambitious specification given that Rogers would have been just
eighteen or nineteen at the time of its manufacture.
Extant
examples of watches by Rogers are hard to find – I have identified only three
so far. As to clocks – just one. But what a one! Sold by Bonhams in 2008 for £16,800, a very
impressive quarter chiming skeleton clock – see https://www.bonhams.com/auctions/16226/lot/72/
William
Rogers was born in 1842 and died in 1898.
Born in Liverpool, he grew up in Manchester, returning to Merseyside as
an adult. He was married to Ellen for
over thirty years. They had seven
children – of these two were daughters and both died in childhood. None of the sons seems to have followed
William into the watchmaking trade.
The
family lived in the West Derby/Kensington area of Liverpool - in 1871 they were
in Emlyn Street and by 1881 had moved to Boaler Street, (see photograph below):
By
1891, they had moved again, this time to no. 29 Kensington; the photograph,
below is of no. 27, (in 1955):
Rogers
had business premises at 19 Castle Street, Liverpool. Other nineteenth century watchmakers based in
Castle Street/South Castle Street included: Joseph Sewill, Owen Owens, John
Moncas, John R Cameron, Henry Daniel, Simpson Samuell, Moses Chapman, Lewis
Woolf, Richard Hornby.
The
other two Rogers watches I have found are:
#11312
- 18ct gold open face lever, hallmarked London 1881. Jewelled gilt three quarter plate movement
with bi-metal split compensation balance.
Subsidiary seconds dial. Case
also numbered 11312 with maker's mark JM, (possibly Joseph Moore). Diameter 50 mm. Movement signed William Rogers, 19 Castle
Street, Liverpool. Sold for £1,140 inc.
premium, May 2010.
#21026
- 18 ct gold half hunter table roller lever, hallmarked Chester 1874. Gilt three quarter plate keyless movement
with going barrel. Compensation balance
with freesprung blue steel overcoil hairspring. English table roller lever
escapement, screwed in jewelling, escape and lever pivots with endstones. Plain case with maker’s mark RO, (possibly
Richard Oliver). Diameter 56 mm.
If
you have details or a photograph of a William Rogers watch do please post a
comment.
