Centuries of Time: A Private Collection
Centuries of Time: A Private Collection
A gold and enamel pair cased verge watch made for the Ottoman market 1813-14, no. 40767
Auction Closed
May 14, 02:23 PM GMT
Estimate
6,000 - 8,000 CHF
Lot Details
Description
Prior, London
A gold and enamel pair cased verge watch made for the Ottoman market
1813-14, no. 40767
• Movement: gilded full plate, verge escapement, three-arm flat steel balance, decoratively pierced and engraved balance cock, diamond end-stone, silver regulation plate with Turkish numerals, fusee and chain, crested Egyptian pillars, signed and numbered Edwd Prior, London, 40767
• Dial: white enamel dial, Turkish numerals, outer minute ring, blued steel beetle and poker hands, signed George Prior, London
• Case: 18ct gold inner case, aperture for winding to back, hallmarked London 1813-14, case maker's mark AN incuse, pendant hallmarked • gold and enamel outer case, back centred with polychrome enamel painted lakeside scene, a bridge and tower in the foreground, a ship in sail and a walled town in the mid-ground, scalloped frame, champlevé enamel foliate and scroll bezels in tones of opaque pink, blue, white and translucent green and red, inner bezels with opaque blue and translucent red enamel
diameter outer case 37mm, inner 31mm
George Prior (1735-1814) had a highly successful business exporting watches and clocks to the Ottoman market in the latter part of the 18th and beginning of the 19th century. George Prior was succeeded by his son Edward and, dating to 1813-14, this watch bears the name of George to the dial and Edward to the movement. The Priors produced a range of watches from simple, silver cased examples, to sumptuously decorated gold and enamel watches.