James Reith

James Reith, London, with London hallmark for 1715. Fine 22K gold pair-cased watch. Double-body, outer and inner, both polished by William Jack (Master mark). Gold champlevé with Roman numerals and outer Arabic minutes ring. Blued steel “poker and beetle” hands. Hinged gilt brass full plate with Egyptian pillars, fusee with chain, verge escapement, plain brass three-arm balance, flat balance spring, gilt brass English cock pierced and engraved with a mask and foliage.Signed on dial and back plate.Diam. 56 mm. Notes James ReithAlthough James Reith was a very fine maker, very few watches and clocks bearing his signature are known to exist. Those that are known are all of high quality. When Henry Sully was appointed by Law to set up a manufacture of watches in Versailles, Sully went to England in order to find good watchmakers and convince them to follow him in France to work in the new manufacture. James Reith was one of them and was chosen by Sully to become his assistant manager. Both enjoyed the good life until Lawecame fed up with spending so much money for the few watches produced by the manufacture. Law, prompted by Reith, blamed and fired Sully. Reith then succeeded Sully in his position (accompanied by photocopies of the relevant pages of Julien Le Roy’s edition of Sully Régle Artificielle du Temps, 1737.).The case of this watch was made by William Jack, who was one of the Thomas Tompion’s and George Graham’s case maker.