Full details of each lot are displayed, except the lot number, estimate and price. You must be a subscriber to view lot numbers, estimates and prices.
A very rare wandering-hour…
Auction House:
Auction Location:
Melbourne
Date:
22-Oct-2024
Lot No.
***
Description:
A very rare wandering-hour pocket watch, maker William Knottesford English circa 1670 4 cm diameter, 4.7 cm high, case diameter 5 cm. A very rare wandering-hour pocket watch, maker William Knottesford. English circa 1670. Gold "wandering hour watches are most unusual, particularly when they come from the period prior to the introduction of the balance spring. In a letter to Norman dated 24/7/1984 Terence Camerer Cuss says about this watch "It is exceptionally early for a wandering hour and maybe is the earliest". The gold dial of this example shows Diana in her grotto; Diana's nymphs were expected to be as chaste as the goddess herself. One of them, Callisto, was seduced by Jupiter who first disguised himself as Diana in order to gain the nymphs presence. Diana confronts Callisto, pointing accusingly. Callisto, her robes drawn back to show her unmistakable pregnancy, cringes in shame. The other nymphs register shame and disapproval. The inner case and the decorative pins to the skin-covered outer case are also gold. the movement has a verge escapement, fusee with chain drive. On the dial there is are no conventional hands, but the hour of the day appears on a circular disc that moves around a semi-circular aperture that has both the minutes and the quarters marked on seperate scales. Provenance: Purchased from Terence Camerer Cuss in July 1984 for 11,000 Pounds ($17,500). Reference: William Knottesford was Master of the Clockmakers Company in 1693 and his watches appear in the collections of the British Museum, the Victoria and Albert Museum and the Guildhall. Illustrated in "Early Watches" by T . P . Camerer Cuss (Terence's father). See page 55 of Camerer Cuss & Co The Bicentenary 1788 - 1988, and it features in an article by Terence Camerer Cuss entitled "Watches with Unusual Dials" which appeared in The Antique Collector, October 1969. Dimensions: 4 cm diameter, 4.7 cm high, case diameter 5 cm
Estimate:
***
Price:
***
Category:
Horology (Clocks & watches): Watches - Pocket & Fob