James Cox, London

• cylinder escapement • white enamel dial, Roman numerals, gold beetle and poker hands, white enamel regulator subsidiary dial above • octagonal case consisting of red striated agate panels with white striations, overlaid rococo frame decorated with flowers and fruit, push button to the base which releases the spring loaded candle lamp, hinged mirrored compartment glazed lamp with semi-circular silver reflector to the back and hinged gold cover consisting of three tiers of open-work decoration in a neo-classical manner, the bezels set with rubies, dial signed Jas Cox

Terence Camerer Cuss, The English Watch 1585-1970, p. 237, pl. 144

The movement is not running at the time of cataloguing. Dial with damage around the winding hole and 8 o'clock. Restoration to the subsidiary dial. The rococo decoration with some cracks. Crack to the bottom right hand agate panel. Tarnishing to the gilt metal of the lamp and the hinged base. Please note that the regulator dial has been removed to reveal the original, visible balance wheel.
"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.

Important Notice regarding importation into the United States of Rolex watches
Sotheby's cannot arrange for the delivery of Rolex watches to the United States because U.S. laws restricts the import of Rolex watches. The buyer or a designated agent may collect the property in the country of sale."

This lavishly ornamented octagonal candle lamp with inset watch was made around 1770. The lamp is entirely concealed within the base until released by means of a button to the base, which dramatically causes the lamp to rise up. The movement is shaped to ensure that the balance is below the regulator dial. Due to the small size of the dial, the ring that one usually finds to the inside of the Roman numerals during this period is omitted and the minutes are represented by dots rather than lines, in this way the clarity of the dial is enhanced.

James Cox was the leading eighteenth-century retailer of jewelled automata and ‘toys’, and, as such, his name has become indelibly linked with these objects. Born in London in about 1723, he was apprenticed in 1738 to Humphrey Pugh of Fleet Street, a silver spinner in business as a toyman.  Thus, although Cox was described as a goldsmith when he became free of the London Goldsmiths’ Company in 1745 and years later registered a mark as such, any skills as a craftsman were always secondary to his inventiveness and marketing abilities. 

His career was tumultuous. After an inauspicious start, followed by an early bankruptcy, he began anew on a grander scale, focusing his attention on exporting his increasingly fanciful objects to the Far East. When the inherently risky Chinese market waned, he opened a museum in Spring Gardens to display his wares, famously dispersed by lottery in 1775. Although the lottery was profitable, and despite significant sales to Catherine the Great, Cox declared bankruptcy again in 1778. He continued trading as a jeweller until he retired and moved to Watford in 1795.