Charles Frodsham, London

Vaudrey Mercer, The Frodshams: The Story of a Family of Chronometer Makers, Antiquarian Horological Society, 1981, p. 209 & illus. p. 419-420, pl. 90-91.

Reinhard Meis, Das Tourbillon, Munich: Laterna Magica, 1986, p. 346.

One of the most spectacular and important English watches of the twentieth century, this is also one of the most famous and most coveted of all British complication watches. Having remained in the present collection for decades, it represents a truly exceptional opportunity to acquire a watch of such renown. Weighing 454g and measuring 75mm in diameter, it stands among the largest and heaviest high-complication watches ever made. Combining the perfection of its aesthetics with an impressive physical presence, its substantial mass lends a tangible gravitas that perfectly complements the complexity of its movement.

This watch was proudly used by Charles Frodsham & Co. Ltd. in 1916 to advertise and demonstrate the superior quality of their watches and clocks. In his 1981 monograph The Frodshams, Vaudrey Mercer described this watch, noting that “of all tourbillons made for the firm, No. 09572 is probably the finest.” [1] He then related an amusing story about its history - one full of irony and coincidence. The watch, Mercer wrote, had been ordered before the war, but for six years nothing was heard from the gentleman who had commissioned it, and so it was eventually sold to another client. Scarcely had the transaction been completed when, much to their mortification, Frodsham received a cheque from the original purchaser together with a letter enquiring after his watch. Fortuitously, upon hearing of the situation, the customer simply requested that Frodsham make him another identical watch and, in due course, they did.

Continuing the story, Mercer recounts how, in a remarkable coincidence, a year or two later a traveller bound for Cornwall took out his watch to check the time and, turning to the only other passenger in the carriage, asked, “Ever seen a watch like this?” The second gentleman reached into his waistcoat pocket and produced his own watch - they were identical. That second example is no. 09649 (misquoted by Mercer as 09642 in The Frodshams) and is hallmarked 1917–18. Mercer concluded his survey of Frodsham’s tourbillon watches by remarking, “Lucky indeed are the owners of examples of their complicated watches and tourbillons.” [2]

Perhaps the most visually striking aspect of No. 09572 is the exceptional clarity of its design. The engine-turned dial is a masterpiece of hand-executed guilloché work, with the calendar indications displayed on pink gold chapter rings that contrast elegantly with the yellow gold of the case and stand out vividly against the silver dial plate. The months are shown individually for each year of the four-year leap cycle; for added clarity, the display is subdivided by a contrasting inner satin-finished silver ring, engraved with the designations “1st Year,” “2nd Year,” “3rd Year,” and “Leap Yr.”, ensuring a quick means of reference for the user. The seconds are clearly delineated on their own pink gold chapter ring, while the hours and minutes are calibrated separately on more traditional satin-finished silver chapters. The moon phases are displayed on a gold and midnight-blue champlevé enamel disc, forming a visual focal point just above the Chas. Frodsham signature cartouche and lending further depth and contrast to the composition.

Continuing this theme of thoughtful clarity, the case conceals all unnecessary correctors and adjusters. Only the winding crown, the short trip-repeat slide, and the prominent olivette for setting the time are visible externally. All corrector nibs for the calendar and moon phases, as well as the slide for selecting strike/silent operation, are ingeniously concealed beneath the bezel.

Clock-Watch Tourbillon

Combining two of the most sophisticated and admired complications, the watch features Nicole, Nielsen’s interpretation of the tourbillon. Originally invented by Abraham-Louis Breguet, the tourbillon mounts the escapement and balance together in a rotating carriage. This carriage both drives the escapement and continually changes its position as it rotates, thereby averaging out positional errors and improving rate stability. Its graceful, perpetual motion is undeniably captivating and has ensured the complication’s enduring appeal among collectors. In this watch, the inner cuvette is glazed, allowing the owner to observe the tourbillon in action without exposing the mechanism to dust, moisture, or other potential interference.

The clock-watch mechanism is powered by a separate spring barrel and train. This design allows the watch to strike the hours and the quarters past each hour ‘in passing’ that is, automatically, as the time is reached, just like a clock. Ingeniously, the system also permits a “trip repeat”: instead of requiring the repeating train to be wound by a slide or deep pusher, a short slide merely triggers the mechanism, releasing, rather than winding the train to chime the time on demand. It was a complication at which Nicole, Nielsen excelled, and one they also supplied to other eminent English makers such as Dent.

Charles Frodsham & Co. Ltd.

Charles Frodsham & Co. Ltd. is the world’s longest continuously operating chronometer manufacturer. Charles Frodsham (1810-1871), the company’s founder, began his career by entering his first watches into the Greenwich chronometer trials in 1830, when he was just twenty. By 1834, he had established his own business and soon began supplying marine chronometers to the Admiralty. In 1843, after John Roger Arnold’s death, Frodsham acquired the Arnold business, rebranding as Arnold Frodsham at 84 Strand, London. He later purchased the Vulliamy watch business in 1854, leading to a recommendation from Astronomer Royal George Airy for Frodsham to serve as Keeper of Her Majesty’s Clocks at Buckingham Palace - a role that allowed him to expand internationally, with agents in America, France, and Spain.

With an exemplary reputation, Frodsham was particularly respected for his work on chronometers, reversed fusee and both lever and double rotary escapements. He served as Master of the Clockmakers’ Company in 1855, winning a Gold Medal at the Paris Exhibition that year. The company was incorporated as Charles Frodsham & Co. Ltd. in 1893. In addition to clocks, regulators, marine chronometers and deck watches, Charles Frodsham produced a range of exceptional gold pocket watches. Among these were precision and complication watches that included chronograph, chronometers, repeaters, perpetual calendars, karrusels and tourbillons. Today, the firm continues its tradition of innovation and excellence, producing remarkable contemporary watches, almost every component of which are made in their English workshops.

[1] Vaudrey Mercer, The Frodshams: The Story of a Family of Chronometer Makers, Antiquarian Horlogical Society, 1981, p. 209.

[2] Ibid, p. 218.