Archive of Sold Items

A mid 19^th Century English duplex by Nicole Nielsen in a gold half hunter case.  Gilt three quarter plate keyless movement with Nicole’s patent winding.   Engraved cock with polished steel regulator, compensation balance with blue steel overcoil hairspring. Duplex escapement, brass escape wheel, jewelled locking roller and pivots with endstones.   Signed white enamel dial, Roman numerals, blue steel half hunter hands.  Engine turned 18 carat full hunter case, engine turned middle.  Unusual gold clip retaining the front hunter cover, small engraved monogram to the central circular cartouche.   Clip on back, maker’s mark “AN” in an oval and number corresponding to that on the movement.   Unusual gold winding crown and bow.

A late 19^th Century French automated singing bird in a gold inlaid horn box .  Brass going barrel movement keywound through the base. Small bellows and piston mechanism provides air to a variable whistle to mimic birdsong operated by a system of cams and levers.   The bird covered with multi-coloured feathered plumage, iridescent highlights to bib and wings.  Moving the gilt lateral slide on the front of the box causes the oval lid to open and the bird to hinge into an upright position, rising through chased and pierced gilt grille.  While playing the automated bird moves its bone beak, flaps its wings, bobs its  tail feather and moves from side-to-side, synchronised to the continuous birdsong.  Horn box, the top inlaid with gold stars, a compartment at the back with a hinged horn lid.  Oval gilt hinged cover to the bird with a classically dressed couple walking through a garden in restored polychrome enamel.  The underside with a polychrome floral spray on a puce ground.  In a black morocco covered fitted case lined with blue velvet, the key in a recess below.

A late 19^th Century 9 carat rose gold watch Albert.  Comprised of eight long rectangular links alternating with short knotted links.  “T” bar on one end of the chain and spring clip on the other.  All links marked.

A large late 18^th Century Austrian calendar verge in silver and underpainted horn case.  Large full plate gilt fusee movement with unusual sprung dust ring.  Finely pierced and engraved bridge cock with steel coqueret, plain three arm gilt balance with blue steel spiral hairspring.  Silver regulator dial with blue steel indicator.  Winding through the signed white enamel dial, central date calendar, Arabic numerals, blue steel Breguet hands. Large plain silver consular case, long silver pendant and bow.  Protective outer with silver bezels covered in horn underpainted green and brown, secured by silver pique pins.

An early 19^th Century French verge with calendar and seconds in a silver drum shaped case.  Full plate gilt fusee movement.  Finely pierced and engraved bridge cock with steel coqueret, plain three arm gilt balance with blue steel spiral hairspring.  Silver regulator dial with blue steel indicator.  Wound through the signed white enamel dial,  subsidiaries for seconds, date and day in French. Arabic numerals, gilt subsidiary hands, blue steel hands.  Unusual drum shaped plain silver open face case, the top plate of the movement almost as large a the dial plate, movement secured by two screws.  The back with maker’s mark “J – B  over “M” in a diamond and French hallmarks.

A 20^th Century Swiss lever in a silver Dennison full hunter case.  Gilt three quarter plate keyless movement with going barrel. Plain cock with polished steel regulator, uncut bimetallic balance with spiral hairspring.  Club foot lever escapement. Signed white enamel dial with subsidiary seconds, Arabic numerals, gilt hands.  Plain silver full hunter case, maker’s mark “ALD” in a rectangle and “Dennison – British Made – Special”.

A fine and unusual late 18^th Century French virgule in a very rare gold and enamel case with invisible hinge.  Unusual slim full plate gilt keywind movement with raised resting barrel.  Plain sector shaped cock secured by two blue steel screws, polished steel coqueret.  Small plain three arm gilt balance with blue steel spiral hairspring, steel regulator with index on the plate.  Rare virgule escapement, brass escape wheel.  Winding through the white enamel dial, Roman and Arabic numerals, gold beetle and poker hands.  Fine pearls set gold and enamel case with glazed gold protective outer.  Engraved gold bezels decorated with blue, red and white champleve enamel.  Matted gold back with applied three colour gold decoration of an urn within an oval frame.  Set with split pearls and champleve enamel in various translucent colours.  The edge of front bezel set within a recess of the body of the case with no discernable sign of a hinge. Opening the bezel by depressing a button in the pendant reveals the hinge to be unusually placed at three o’clock, set close to the movement.  The small crescent of the bezel beyond the hinge moves below the recess in the body of the case.  Glazed gold outer case to protect the watch.

A late 18^th Century French verge in a three colour gold consular case depicting an early ballooning scene.  Full plate gilt fusee movement.  Finely pierced and engraved bridge cock with steel coqueret, plain three arm gilt balance with blue steel spiral hairspring.  Silver regulator dial.  Wound through the signed white enamel dial, Arabic numerals, gilt Breguet hands.  Rare three colour gold consular case, applied engraved gold decoration to the back depicting two figure in classical garden waving to a balloon in the sky.  Bezels with applied gold foliate decoration.

A late 18^th Century Swiss verge in a pearl set gold and enamel gold case.  Slim full plate gilt fusee movement.  Finely pierced and engraved bridge cock with steel coqueret, plain three arm gilt balance with blue steel spiral hairspring.  Silver regulator dial with blue steel indicator.  Wound through the signed white enamel dial, Roman numerals, gold hands.  Gold and enamel case, bezels set with a small single row of split pearls.  Finely painted polychrome enamel scene of the huntress Diana and Cupid.  Rectangular gold pendant with a button to open the sprung front bezel.

A late 18^th Century French verge in an unusually enamelled gold open face case.  Full plate gilt fusee movement.  Finely pierced and engraved bridge cock with steel coqueret, plain three arm gilt balance with blue steel spiral hairspring, silver regulator dial.  Wound through the signed white enamel dial, Arabic numerals, gold tipped polished steel hands.  Gold and enamel open face case, the champleve enamel sprung bezel opened by a button in the pendant.  The large oval scene on the back of a young lady and cherub in an unusual technique of polychrome enamel raised over a partially visible gold ground.  Oval border of graduated split pearls surrounded by translucent dark blue enamel over an engine turned ground.  Rectangular gold and enamel pendant.

A rare double sided French verge with mock pendulum and compass in a silver case.  Full plate gilt fusee movement under a signed engine turned mask, glazed circular aperture revealing the engraved bridge cock.  Gilt balance with blue steel spiral hairspring, mock pendulum visible through the semi-circular aperture, diamond endstone in a polished steel setting.  The regulator dial engraved on the silver mask above the balance cock, blue steel indicator.  Engine turned silver dial, subsidiary marked in Roman numerals for time a six o’clock, the gilt hands set by the central square. Subsidiaries for functioning compass and seconds, both in glazed circular apertures. Applied oval gold cartouche at twelve engraved with a monogram.  Silver case with engine turned middle glazed on both sides, broad oval pendant and bow.

A fine early 20^th Century American lever in a decorative three colour gold full hunter case.  Full plate nickelled keyless movement with going barrel.   Engraved cock with polished steel regulator, gold sector index on the plate. Compensation balance with blue steel overcoil hairspring.  Club foot lever escapement.  Signed white enamel dial with subsidiary seconds, Roman numerals, blue steel hands  Attractive substantial 14 carat full hunter case with box hinges.  The front cover engine turned, engraved and decorated with applied three colour gold work, a large vacant shield shaped cartouche to the centre.  The back cover also engine turned, engraved and decorated with applied three colour gold work depicting a stag.  Plain gold cuvette, maker’s mark “B.W.C.Co.”.

A 20^th Century English two day marine chronometer by Kullberg.  Full plate spotted keywind reverse fusee movement marked with the broad ministry arrow above “I”, four turned pillars secured by blue steel screws.  Harrison’s maintaining power with steel click and blue steel spring. Polished steel barrel ratchet wheel and double toothed click on the spotted barrel bridge.  Spotted cock with diamond endstone in a polished steel setting.  Two arm compensation balance with two circular weights, Kullberg’s later form of middle-error temperature compensation, large timing screws and nuts, freesprung palladium helical hairspring.  Earnshaw spring detent escapement, escape pivots with endstones.  The movement secured to the gilt dial plate by three blue steel screws.  Engraved signed and numbered silvered brass dial with broad ministry arrow, “I” and date, subsidiaries for seconds and power reserve indication, Roman numerals, blue steel hands.  Numbered turned brass bowl, rotating shutter to the winding hole, screw brass bezel with flat glass.  Brass gimbals and locking mechanism, brass ratchet key.  Three tier mahogany box, hinged flush brass handles, later top lid.  Rectangular plaque engraved with the maker’s name, number, date, broad ministry arrow and “Two Days”.  Included is a photocopy of a letter to the Director General of Stores at the India Office signed by the Astronomer Royal recommending the purchase of this chronometer.

A 20^th Century Irish two day marine chronometer.  Full plate spotted keywind fusee movement, four turned pillars secured by blue steel screws.  Harrison’s maintaining power with steel click and blue steel spring.  Blue steel barrel ratchet wheel and double toothed click on the spotted barrel bridge.  Spotted cock with diamond endstone in a blue steel setting.  Two arm compensation balance with two circular weights, Poole’s auxiliary middle-error temperature compensation, large timing nuts, freesprung palladium helical hairspring.  Earnshaw spring detent escapement, escape pivots with endstones.  The movement secured to the gilt dial plate by three brass screws.  Engraved signed and numbered silvered brass dial marked in red “Auxiliary Compensation – Kew A”.   Subsidiaries for seconds and power reserve indication, Roman numerals, blue steel hands.  Numbered turned brass bowl, sprung rotating shutter to the winding hole, screw brass bezel with flat glass.  Brass gimbals and locking mechanism, brass ratchet key.  Three tier mahogany box, brass straps and corners, hinged flush brass handles. Signed and numbered circular plaque.

An early 20^th Century Swiss lever in a fine diamond set platinum cocktail watch by Tiffany.  Oval fifteen jewel nickelled keyless three three quarter plate movement by Longines.  Plain cock with polished steel regulator, compensation balance with blue steel spiral hairspring. Club foot lever escapement. Signed metal dial, Arabic numerals, blue steel hands.  Fine rectangular platinum case set with diamonds, hinged diamond set platinum lugs to attach the black cord strap.  Deployant clasp with safety chain.  Signed brown morocco case with gilt decoration.

A very long late 19^th Century 9 carat gold belcher pattern guard chain.  Gold spring clip fastening the chain.

A very long late 19^th Century 18 carat gold guard chain comprising alternating small rope twist links and rectangular links.  18 carat gold spring clip, all links marked.

An early 20^th Century 9 carat rose gold watch Albert.  Two graduated chains with  with central “T” bar.  Spring clip on one end of the chain and sprung jump ring on the other, all links marked.

A fine mid 19^th Century watch box by Tahan.  The faces of the box inlaid with walnut, mahogany and bone in an attractive hexagonal pattern.  Hinged top with brass edges opening to reveal a square hinged tray lined with green velvet.  Maximum height for the watch – 56 mm including crown.

A mid 19^th Century cylinder with digital time indication in a slim gold and enamel case.  Split three quarter plate keywind movement with suspended going barrel. Plain cock with blue steel regulator, plain three arm gold balance with blue steel spiral hairspring. Polished steel cylinder, steel escape wheel.  The hours and minutes indicated in two glazed apertures in the front cover revealing part of two circular disc beneath.  Slim gold case decorated with black champleve enamel, a white enamel arrow serving as an indicator to the minutes.  Wound and set through the signed gold cuvette.

An early 18^th Century English verge with silver champleve dial in silver pair cases.  Full plate fire gilt movement with square baluster pillars.  Pierced and engraved masked cock, broad pierced and engraved foot and plate for the silver regulator disc. Fusee and chain with worm and wheel barrel setup between the plates. Plain three arm gilt balance, blue steel spiral hairspring. Engraved brass edge to the signed silver champleve dial, Roman and Arabic numerals, fine blue steel beetle and poker hands.  Matching silver pair cases, split bezel for the glass, silver pendant and stirrup bow.  Plain silver outer case, maker’s mark “TB”, coronet above.