29,900 CHF
George Graham, London, No. 941, circa 1750. A very rare and fine gold and enamel pair cased quarter- repeating watch. White enamel with Roman numerals. Gold " beetle-and-poker" hands. Notes Although the outer case of the watch is not pierced,it has provision for the 'a toc' thumb piece. The fit of the two cases together and the exceptional quality of the enamel outer leaves little doubt that the outer was made specifically for the watch,perhaps some 15 years later. Most high quality decorative watches made during the 18th century in England were originally provided with a second outer case, normally constructed of robust material, leather covered and designed for everyday wear. This was particularly true for repousse watches. Since enameling superceeded gold repousse work as a fashion after 1760, it would have been perfectly acceutable for a repeating watch of the quality procuced by Graham to have been updated with a new case in the latest style. Formerly in the Eli collection
Auctioneer:
Antiquorum
Date:
1991-10-20
