Joseph Martineau, London

• Movement: gilded full plate, decoratively pierced and foliate engraved masked balance cock, plain flat balance, fusee and chain, baluster pillars • movement signed Joseph Martineau Senr., London, no. 1483
• Dial: white enamel, Roman numerals, outer Arabic minute ring, blued steel beetle and poker hands, winding aperture between 3 and 4 o’clock
• Case: gold single case, the back set with single bloodstone flattened towards the centre with a large gold rosette with engraved flower, the bezel set with six panels of bloodstone

Terence Camerer Cuss, The English Watch 1585-1970, 2009, p. 196, pl. 108

Movement will just run for short periods, needs a clean and service. Dial with hairline running from the centre towards the edge of the dial at 7 o'clock where there is a repaired chip between 7 and 8 o'clock, further hairline from the catch to 5 o'clock. Some small cracks to some of the panels of the bloodstone bezel. Case back appears in good condition. Case closes securely.
"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."

Little is known of Joseph Martineau Senior, and accurate dating of this watch is difficult. Using the known hallmarked and numbered watches by Martineau, one might date this
watch as early as the 1740s, yet the watch’s style could suggest a date closer to the 1760s. The body of the watch forms a complete gold dome beneath the bloodstone rather
than the more common and later seen panels of stone (often agate) which require no solid backing – indeed, even when a single piece of stone is used in later watches, this tends to be pinned into a back bezel, rather than being mounted above a solid dome.

Joseph Martineau Senior is listed as working from 1744 in Orange Street and, at least until 1770, at his later address in St. Martins Court. Examples of his work are in the Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, and were in the Ilbert, Chamberlain and Pierpont Morgan [item no. 176, p. 164] collections.  Watches by Joseph Martineau with repoussé cases signed by Wieland, Christopher Heckel and John Gastrell are recorded (see Edgcumbe, The Art of the Gold Chaser).