Lot 301

Sharman D. Neill Ltd.

An English half hunter - precision pocket watch with 52,5 min. carousel and heavy 18 K gold case by Frederick Thoms

Sold

Sharman D. Neill was a renowned jeweler and retailer of fine watches and chronometers in Belfast. He sold brands such as Kullberg, Gardner and Bonniksen. During World War I the company supplied the British Army with optical instruments such as the so-called "Neill's Sight" for the 36th Ulster Division. James Dermot and Robert Neill died at the Western Front while serving with the Royal Irish Rifles.
The company was founded by Sharman Dermott Neill in 1802 and became a Royal Warrant Holder.
"Carousel" watches are a design by the Danish watchmaker Bahne Bonniksen, who registered the patent in 1892 in England. His intention was to create a compromise between the "expensive" tourbillon and a normal chronometer - and he actually achieved better results with his carousel than some of the tourbillons.