John Roger Arnold, London

• Movement: gilded full plate, ruby cylinder escapement, broad flat steel three-arm balance, ruby endstone, large blued steel regulation arm indicating on broad semi-circular scale engraved on going barrel bridge, signed Jno. R Arnold, London, No. 3 and marked patent
• Dial: gold, Roman numerals against a stippled ground, outer pearled minute ring, engine-turned centre, gold hands, spade hour, the minute hand with pin hole to aid time setting
• Case: gold case, engine-turned back, milled band, case hallmarked London 1819 and with maker's mark TH in rectangular cameo for Thomas Hardy

Terence Camerer Cuss, The English Watch 1585-1970, 2009, p. 363, pl. 234

Movement running at time of cataloguing, some light scuffs and scratches to the backplate. Decoration to the dial remains crisp with some scuffs and scratches and tarnishing to the matte chapter ring, scratch between 12 and 1 o'clock and 5 and 6 o'clock. Case with rubbing, some small indentations and loss of definition to the edge of the engine turning of the case back, milled band appears to be in good overall condition, front cover 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."

Thomas Prest was John Roger Arnold’s foreman. Prest was granted patent no. 4501 for his keyless winding system on 20th October, 1820. The present watch, numbered 3, has the London hallmark for 1819-1820 and may well be the earliest surviving watch with this keyless system.

For three similar watches by John Roger Arnold using Prest's keyless winding system, but all in silver cases, see:
Sotheby's London, 17^th December 1987, lot 175: J.R. Arnold no. 20, hallmarked 1820
Sotheby's London, 26^th February 1998, lot 35: J.R. Arnold, no. 30, circa 1820
Sotheby's London, 10^th December 1981, lot 142: J.R. Arnold no. 91, hallmarked 1823 - now in the Patek Philippe Museum, [Inventory S-833] and published in Peter Friess, Patek Philippe Museum, The Emergence of the Portable Watch, Vol. IV, 2015, p. 611.

Thomas Prest's keyless system is discussed, together with an illustration of his patent drawings, in an article by Michael Gibbons for Antiquarian Horology: English Keyless Winding Watches [see op. cit. No. 4, Vol. 27, June 2003, p.424-426]. The patent only allowed for the winding of the watch and not the hand-setting – this watch is therefore fitted with an unusual minute hand that has a pin hole approximately 2/3 of the way down its length to aid adjustment with, presumably, a tool (quite possibly fitted to the top end of the original winding key) with short protruding pin to avoid the risk of scratching the dial’s surface. The development of keyless winding was one of the greatest advances in mechanical horology and Prest's system marked an important step in its evolution.