Lot 341

José R. Losada

A very fine, small London splendour minute repeating hunting case pocket watch with duplex escapement

José Rodríguez Losada (1797-1870) was born in Iruela in the province of Leon, Spain; in his youth he spend some time at the court of Madrid. He left Spain for political reasons and travelled to England to start a workshop near Euston Road in London. Losada produced a number of high quality chronometers and watches he sold at home as well as to Spain and South America. In 1835 Losada opened up a grand showroom at 105 Regent Street. Losada never cut his ties with his native Spain and when he won a prize in 1864, he supplied 36 chronometers to the Spanish government through the Royal Observatory at Cadiz. The "Horological Journal" of 1878 reported that these were "very fine clocks and almost every conceivable variety of complicated watches and repeater, perpetual calendars and chronographs, and some exceptionally good chronometers, fine watches, astronomical and carriage clocks". Losada died in 1870 but his business continued to operate at Regent Street until about 1890.