CHARLES FRODSHAM, LONDON

• Movement: gilded half-plate, spring detent escapement, free-sprung bi-metallic compensation balance, blued steel helical spring, diamond endstone, fusee and chain, signed Charles Frodsham, 84 Strand, London, by Appointment to the
Queen, No. 07324 AD Fmsz and with Royal Warrant and gold medal prize medallions
• Dial: silvered, Roman numerals, outer minute ring, subsidiary dial for up-and-down showing state of wind below 12 o’clock divided into 54 hours, subsidiary seconds, blued steel spade hands, signed and numbered ensuite with the movement
• Case: plain silver polished, the hinged back opening to reveal plain polished silver cuvette with apertures for winding and setting, case back and cuvette with London hallmarks for 1885 and with case maker’s mark GJT incuse for George James Thickbroom, with blue velvet lined three-tier mahogany deck box, accompanied by keys for watch and deck box

Sotheby's London, 7th December 1982, lot 151
Sotheby's Geneva, 17th May 2000, lot 114

Terence Camerer Cuss, The English Watch 1585-1970, 2009, pp. 418-419, pl. 269

Movement running at time of cataloguing and appears to be in good clean condition, winding and hand setting operational. Dial with light tarnishing and some light scuffs. Case in good overall condition with light scuffs, covers close securely. Wooden deck box in attractive condition.
"In response to your inquiry, we are pleased to provide you with a general report of the condition of the property described above. All dimensions in catalogue descriptions are approximate. Condition reports may not specify mechanical replacements or imperfections to the movement, case, dial, pendulum, separate base(s) or dome. Watches in water-resistant cases have been opened to examine movements but no warranties are made that the watches are currently water-resistant. Please note that we do not guarantee the authenticity of any individual component parts, such as wheels, hands, crowns, crystals, screws, bracelets and leather bands, since subsequent repairs and restoration work may have resulted in the replacement of original parts. Since we are not professional conservators or restorers, we urge you to consult with a restorer or conservator of your choice who will be better able to provide a detailed, professional report. Prospective buyers should inspect each lot to satisfy themselves as to condition and must understand that any statement made by Sotheby's is merely a subjective, qualified opinion. Prospective buyers should also refer to any Important Notices regarding this sale, which are printed in the Sale Catalogue. In particular, please note it is the purchaser's responsibility to comply with any applicable import and export matters, particularly in relation to lots incorporating materials from endangered species.NOTWITHSTANDING THIS REPORT OR ANY DISCUSSIONS CONCERNING A LOT, ALL LOTS ARE OFFERED AND SOLD AS IS" IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE CONDITIONS OF BUSINESS PRINTED IN THE SALE CATALOGUE."

**Please be advised that bands made of materials derived from endangered or otherwise protected species (i.e. alligator and crocodile) are not sold with the watches and are for display purposes only. We reserve the right to remove these bands prior to shipping."

The present lot belongs to a special series of deck watches, totaling approximately twenty-two pieces, which were produced over a period of forty years. Today, eleven pieces are known to have survived. The first two pieces from the group were sold around 1856-7. The present lot, no.07324, together with 4 others, were finished 25-30 years later; these included number 06836 which is illustrated in Camerer Cuss, The
English Watch 1585-1970, pp. 416-417, pl. 268. The final part of the series was finished in three small groups in the late 1880s and 1890s. The ébauche was supplied by Joseph Preston & Sons, Prescot. Unfortunately, Frodsham’s sales books are missing for the period, however, it is highly likely that the present watch was purchased for use on a private yacht – at the time, there was a great enthusiasm for competitive yacht
racing. Indeed, no. 07622, which is also from this special series of deck watches, has RYS Valhalla to the escutcheon of the box’s lid; her owner was the Edinburgh Astronomer John Lindsay, 26th Earl of Crawford and a member of the prestigious
Royal Yacht Squadron.

In 1843, Charles Frodsham bought the firm J.R. Arnold, re-naming the business Arnold and Frodsham. This was a bold move as it set him up at 84 Strand. He retained the double name until 1858 when the firm Charles Frodsham, 84 Strand, was officially established. Through his many publications and timepieces, Frodsham dedicated himself to the exploration and improvement of timekeeping in its many forms, achieving acclaim for his work from chronometers to barometers. The Frodsham balance, which was designed for phenomenal accuracy, can be found in carriage clocks and some mantel clocks dating to as early as 1851.

Frodsham became free of the Clockmakers’ Company in 1845 and Master of the Company in 1855. He served as Master of the Company for a second time in 1862, that same year he was elected Vice-President of the British Horological Institute, of
which he was one of the original members.

In 1855 he won the Gold Medal of Honour at the Paris Exhibition. In 1862 he was awarded the Medal of Honour for his service as a juror at the Great International Exhibition in South Kensington. He continued to achieve recognition at exhibitions
from Russia to Paris. Charles Frodsham excelled at his art until his death in January, 1871, at the age of 60.

Upon Charles’s death, his son, Harrison Mill Frodsham, took charge of the firm and incorporated it in 1893 as Charles Frodsham & Co. Ltd. Harrison Mill Frodsham proved to be an able horologist and businessman and the firm continued to flourish as a maker of fine timepieces, as the present lot exemplifies.