Lot 523

George Prior, London, 56 mm, 150 g, circa 1820
A magnificent and nearly as new gold enamel quarter repeating pocket watch in a triple case for the Ottoman market
Case: outer case - 18k gold, glazed, pierced, à goutte, florally engraved, polychrome enamelled, five-piece lateral hinge. Middle case - 18k gold, pierced, à goutte, florally engraved, polychrome enamelled, the back side with an exquisite translucent polychrome enamelled medallion depicting a maritime landscape, five-piece lateral hinge. Inner case - 18k gold, florally hand-engraved and pierced, rear bell, protective cap, pendant set with a large diamond. Dial: enamel, radial Ottoman numerals, blued steel hands. Movm.: full plate movement, keywind, frosted, gilt, 2 hammers, 2 barrels, cylinder escapement, three-arm steel balance, fine florally engraved balance bridge, diamond endstone on balance.
Movement as well as case design of these watches intended for the Turkish market were already outmoded in 1817 - and even more so in later years; nevertheless Edward Prior and some of his contemporaries such as George Prior (II), George Charle, Markwick Markham-Perigal and Isaac Rogers specialized on this type of watch because there was a ongoing demand for them on the Turkish market - be it from tradition or from a true love of the elaborately ornamented movements and cases. It is quite possible that many of these watches - the one we have here is among them - never even left England, because their exotic beauty had its devotees in their own country too. Very often these buyers kept the watch safely in a drawer like jewellery, which explains the mint condition of some of these marvellous pieces - as it is the case with our watch. The exquisite gold enamel cases were probably created by goldsmith Augustus Newman in 7 Plumptree Street, Bloomsbury, London, whose mark appears for the first time on November 4th, 1813; we still do not know who painted the gallant scenes on the outer cases though.

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