Lot 8
  • 8

Richard Ditchfield, Londini

Estimate
6,000 - 8,000 GBP
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Description

  • Richard Ditchfield, Londini
  • A SPLENDID SILVER AND TORTOISESHELL PAIR CASED PRE-BALANCE SPRING VERGE WATCHCIRCA 1680
  • Silver and tortoiseshell
  • diameter of outer case 52mm, inner case 46mm
Movement: gilded full plate, verge escapement, decoratively pierced and floral engraved screwed-on balance cock and long oval foot, flat balance, worm and wheel set-up, fusee and chain, elaborately pierced floriate pillars and foot to the stop work, signed Richard Ditchfield, Londini
Dial: silver champlevé with long Roman numerals against a stippled ground, inner ring with quarter hour divisions, rosette to the centre, blued steel tulip hand, gilded outer ring
Cases: plain silver inner case, split bezel for glass retention, plain ring pendant, indistinct maker's mark • tortoiseshell outer case, the back centred with an inlaid silver Tudor rose surrounded by stylised silver wire wreath, decorative small silver roundels to the bezels   

Literature

Terence Camerer Cuss, The English Watch 1585-1970, 2009, p. 112, pl. 49

Condition

Movement running at time of cataloguing but may benefit from a clean. Dial with some scuffs and scratches. Inner case with some light indentations. Outer case with some small splits to the tortoiseshell, the inlaid silver decoration in good overall condition.
"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."

Catalogue Note

This watch was made without a balance spring yet was almost certainly completed after its first introduction in 1675, but before it was universally adopted in the very early 1680s.

 Richard Ditchfield (c.1649-1697) was apprenticed through the Clothworkers’ Company and became a Free Brother of the Clockmakers’ Company in 1677. Ditchfield was recorded as an engraver and so it is perhaps no surprise that the movement’s cock and table are wonderfully pierced and engraved and the pillars are of elaborate floriate form, indeed, even the signature is executed with an elaborate flourish.