J G HELSBY & Co ‘Massey Patent’ Liverpool. No 5051
A lovely example of the very rare Massey type-4 seconds beating lever watch, from the Alan Treherne collection.
£7,995.00
Large engine-turned silver paircase with chased floral bezels and reeded pendant and bow, casemakers TH/JH (Thomas and John Helsby, Liverpool), hallmarked Chester 1821. Fullplate fusee movement with floral engraving to the cock, the barrel-bar engraved ‘MASSEY PATENT.’ Massey type-4 detached lever escapement with type-3 roller, the lever pallets of dead-beat form and the fork end of the gilded lever with three passing slots, allowing the balance to swing for more than two full turns. Large gold balance, spiral balance-spring. Cream enamel dial in perfect condition, pink gold hands, the original blued-steel seconds with matching gold boss. 59 mm diameter.
James Gooden Helsby, Vauxhall Road, Liverpool, watchmaker, presumably a family relation to the Helsby casemakers.
Edward Massey, escapement maker, originally from Newcastle-under-Lyme, later Coventry, then Liverpool and London. Inventor and patentee, in 1814, of a detached lever escapement. The escapement is known in five forms, with four different rollers. These were first catalogued by Alan Treherne, the earliest being types-1 and -5, followed by types-2 and -3. The very rare Massey type-4 is a seconds beating watch and is usually fitted with a type-3 roller, as here. See also the now rare 1977 booklet on The Massey Family produced by Alan Treherne.
NB: The two additional slots in the lever allow the balance to swing (if needed) well over 720 degrees before banking – banking being something that would never normally happen unless violently shaken. The heavy slow moving balance can, however, easily gain added momentum in wear so Massey type-4 escape wheels have upright teeth, only the top part of which act with the longer than usual pallets. This allows much greater depth of engagement, otherwise the end of the pallet would hit the body of a normal escape wheel.
This watch, shown at the AHS AGM at Keele University in 2008, and featured in the event’s Your Time catalogue (item P42), was once part of the Seth Atwood collection. It was purchased by me for Alan at Sothebys ‘Masterpieces from the Time Museum’ sale, part III, in New York in 2004, lot 930. It is in the same condition now and was one of Alan’s most treasured Massey items. It is also one of the best examples I have handled, of which only around twenty-five are known to me, half of which are just movements or have been altered.
In fine original condition, the case showing just minor signs of wear. Not cleaned by me, and not for a long time it seems, but it will tick happily if wound. I do not, however, recommend that it is run until serviced and I am happy to provide this free of charge to the buyer, if wanted.
Item reserved
Description
Large engine-turned silver paircase with chased floral bezels and reeded pendant and bow, casemakers TH/JH (Thomas and John Helsby, Liverpool), hallmarked Chester 1821. Fullplate fusee movement with floral engraving to the cock, the barrel-bar engraved ‘MASSEY PATENT.’ Massey type-4 detached lever escapement with type-3 roller, the lever pallets of dead-beat form and the fork end of the gilded lever with three passing slots, allowing the balance to swing for more than two full turns. Large gold balance, spiral balance-spring. Cream enamel dial in perfect condition, pink gold hands, the original blued-steel seconds with matching gold boss. 59 mm diameter.
James Gooden Helsby, Vauxhall Road, Liverpool, watchmaker, presumably a family relation to the Helsby casemakers.
Edward Massey, escapement maker, originally from Newcastle-under-Lyme, later Coventry, then Liverpool and London. Inventor and patentee, in 1814, of a detached lever escapement. The escapement is known in five forms, with four different rollers. These were first catalogued by Alan Treherne, the earliest being types-1 and -5, followed by types-2 and -3. The very rare Massey type-4 is a seconds beating watch and is usually fitted with a type-3 roller, as here. See also the now rare 1977 booklet on The Massey Family produced by Alan Treherne.
NB: The two additional slots in the lever allow the balance to swing (if needed) well over 720 degrees before banking – banking being something that would never normally happen unless violently shaken. The heavy slow moving balance can, however, easily gain added momentum in wear so Massey type-4 escape wheels have upright teeth, only the top part of which act with the longer than usual pallets. This allows much greater depth of engagement, otherwise the end of the pallet would hit the body of a normal escape wheel.
This watch, shown at the AHS AGM at Keele University in 2008, and featured in the event’s Your Time catalogue (item P42), was once part of the Seth Atwood collection. It was purchased by me for Alan at Sothebys ‘Masterpieces from the Time Museum’ sale, part III, in New York in 2004, lot 930. It is in the same condition now and was one of Alan’s most treasured Massey items. It is also one of the best examples I have handled, of which only around twenty-five are known to me, half of which are just movements or have been altered.
In fine original condition, the case showing just minor signs of wear. Not cleaned by me, and not for a long time it seems, but it will tick happily if wound. I do not, however, recommend that it is run until serviced and I am happy to provide this free of charge to the buyer, if wanted.