Philip T Priestley

BRITISH WATCHCASE GOLD & SILVER MARKS 1670 to 1970: A History of Watchcase Makers and Registers of Their Marks From Original Assay Office Records in England, Ireland, and Scotland Philip T Priestley

This compendium reflects a lifetime of research into a unique and fascinating subject. Drawing on previous work and incorporating a great amount of new information, this book covers a rich period of history that some consider to be the watershed between the Middle Ages and the Technological Age.

This definitive work is devoted to British watchcases and their makers' marks. It contains a full listing of hallmarks from all the assay offices, including for the first time Dublin, Edinburgh, Glasgow, and Sheffield. It recounts the history of watch glasses, their types and sizes; English metal watch dials; and economic and social factors of the time. It includes appendices on shagreen watchcase makers of London as well as London master/apprentice hierarchies and their biographies.

The author passed away during the final phases of publication. The work was completed by his widow and is a fitting tribute to his life's work as well as being an invaluable and emcompassing contribution to this field of study.