Simon De Charmes, London

• Movement: gilded full plate, verge escapement, pierced and engraved masked balance cock with foliate scrolls inhabited by two dolphins’ heads, plain flat balance, repeating on a bell to the inside case back, rounded baluster pillars • silver dust cap • movement and dust cap signed S De Charmes, London, bell scratch signed Drury
• Dial: later white enamel dial, Roman numerals, outer Arabic minute ring, blued steel beetle and poker hands
• Cases: gold inner case with band pierced and engraved with scrolls of foliage inhabited by birds, grotesque mask to the base, townscape beneath the pendant, the centre of the back with an engraved flower and aperture for winding, maker's mark IL for John Lee • outer case with repoussé scene depicting Apollo, the sun god and the four seasons: Flora with infant for Spring; Ceres, Summer; Bacchus, Autumn; and Saturn as Winter within a symmetric cartouche, four subsidiary scenes outside the central cartouche depict putti and alternate with pierced panels with scrolling foliage, shells and dolphins’ heads, the bezel with alternating scenes of birds and rabbits and with pierced foliate scrolls, maker's mark SG beneath a fish incuse for Stephen Goujon, repoussé signed J.V. Haidt at the base of the scene

Terence Camerer Cuss, The English Watch 1585-1970, 2009, pp. 186-187, pl. 100

Movement running when wound at the time of cataloguing. Repeater striking but not slightly sluggish and half quarters not all sounding. Dial likely later, hands in good condition. Inner case with scuffs throughout as to be expected. Some tarnishing around the inside of the outer case back repousse in very good condition with good detail and definition.
"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."

Simon de Charmes became a Free Brother of the Clockmakers’ Company in 1691 and it is thought that he remained an active watchmaker until about 1730, the approximate date of this watch. The repoussé case was made by John Valentine Haidt (1700-1780), whose signature appears on the step below the scavenging dog. Haidt was originally from Augsburg and studied at the Royal Academy of Arts in Berlin. It was John Valentine’s father who encouraged him to become a goldsmith. Haidt lived in many different cities around Europe, working in Augsburg, Rome, Venice and Paris before moving to London where he married, in 1725, Catherine Compigné, the daughter of a clock or watchmaker. The famed goldsmith and painter George Michael Moser is understood to have worked for Haidt in the early 1730s. In 1754, Haidt left Europe for America and became the official painter to the Moravian community in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania, where he died in 1780. For further information on John Valentine Haidt, see: Richard Edgcumbe, The Art of the Gold Chaser, 2000, pp. 52-55.