A George III silver pair cased pocket watch, James Wright, D...

Hammer

£240

A George III silver pair cased pocket watch, James Wright, Derby, white enamel dial, Roman and Arabic numeral bands, chain drive fusee movement, No 5186, pierced floral clock plate, plain pillars, matching silver cases, Thomas Carpenter, London 1786, outer case 48mm diameter James Wright (born 1741) was a nephew by marriage of John Whitehurst FRS and was apprenticed to his uncle in 1755-1762, working with him thereafter. Even so, he made watches on his own account, the local paper reporting the loss of one of his watches in 1773. He was, on the persuasion of Mrs. Whitehurst, put in charge of the firm in Derby when Whitehurst moved to London in 1775, but his tenure was a disaster financially and he left in 1780, setting up in a shop near the Cathedral. He was a very talented maker and innovator, but a hopeless entrepreneur, most of his schemes failing ignominiously He died (in debt) in 1806. His brother John was a successful maker in Chesterfield.