James Cox, London

• Movements: each gilded full plate, verge escapement, decoratively pierced and engraved balance cock, fusee and chain, cylindrical pillars, repeating on a bell to the inside case back • movements signed Jas Cox, London and numbered respectively 621 and 628
• Dials: each with polychrome painted enamel dial, the outer edge with continuous pastoral scene, the centre with white enamel dial and black Roman numerals, outer minute ring, blued steel hands
• Cases: the inner cases each with pierced and engraved band, engraved scene of a town by a lake below the pendant and grotesque mask to the base, ruby-set pendant, bow and
pusher, the centre of the backs each with engraved floral spray, each outer case centered with an Asiatic war Elephant bearing a castellated howdah in blue basse-taille enamel over
a chased and engraved background, each with a decorative gilt crank key, case with maker’s mark PM incuse for Peter Mounier With a modern custom made fitted presentation box.

David Schwartz Collection, Beverly Hills, USA
Antiquorum Geneva, The Sandberg Watch Collection, 31st March-1st April, 2001, lot 200

Terrence Camerer Cuss, The English Watch, 1585-1970, 2009, pp. 242-243, pl. 149

Watch 621 - not running at time of cataloguing but repeating work is operational, dial with some scratches towards the centre, decoration to inner case remains bright and clear, outer case in good overall condition. Watch 628 - running and repeating at time of cataloguing. Dial with a few small scratches, otherwise appears in good condition. Decoration to inner case remains bright and clear, outer case appears to be in good overall condition. Both bells are scratch signed Drury and numbered 621 and 628 respectively. Covers of both watches close 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."

Matched pairs of watches were greatly in demand in the Chinese market towards the end of the 18th century. These two watches are just 7 numbers apart and are all but identical, yet no. 628 is in fact a subtle miniaturisation of no. 621 with 1 mm difference in their diameters. There are a number of reasons as to why the watches may have been paired in this way. One such theory is said to be an acknowledgment of the belief that for Man to be in harmony with Nature he should, like her, never make any two things precisely the same.

James Cox (b. circa 1723) was one of the most gifted inventors and entrepreneurs of his time. Although described as a goldsmith when he became free of the London Goldsmiths’ Company in 1745 and years later registered a mark as such, any skills as a craftsman were always secondary to his inventiveness and marketing abilities. Cox specialized in the production of complicated musical and automaton clocks and watches that were elaborately studded with precious and semi-precious stones. He employed the best clockmakers and artists to bring life to his carefully designed and ingenious
mechanisms and, for a time, developed a successful export market to China. In February 1772, as a result of trading difficulties with the Orient, he set up an exhibition of his clocks at Spring Gardens, Charing Cross, London and charged an entrance fee of half a guinea. The exhibition appears to have been a moderate success, but in 1775 he was obliged to dispose of the contents of the exhibition by public lottery. Cox’s fortunes appear to have continued to decline and he was declared bankrupt in 1779. In 1783, he re-established his business, and with the help of his son John Henry Cox, set up
premises in Canton, which flourished for a number of years. James Cox retired to Watford in 1795.