Important Collectors’ Wristwatches Po...

Geneva, Hotel Des Bergues, Oct 21, 1995

LOT 257

Richard Good & Peter Amis, London, 1955-62. Prototype and production model for S. Smith & Sons 'Everest' series, the only automatic wristwatch to be made in Britain. The lot is made up of: a) Production blank b) Uncased prototype c) Production model in 9ct gold marked 'Smith's Everest 25 jewels shockproof d) A 12" Smith & Sons wristwatch fitted with a free sprung balance with inner and outer terminal curves.

CHF 6,000 - 7,000

C. Round, stainless steel, D. Engine-turned, Arabic numerals, subsidiary seconds at 6 o'clock, gold hands. M. Half-plate, gilt, 18 jewels, lever escapement with jewelled palets, free-sprung temperature compensated balance, the spring with outer and inner terminal curves. In good condition. Dim. 34mm


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Notes

RICHARD GOOD was awarded a diploma with honours from the National College of Horology in 1951 and subsequently in the Design and Development Department of S. Smith & Sons, Clerkenwell, where he specialised in watch adjustment and helped design and make two watches. On moving to Thomas Mercer, whose works manager he subsequently became, he designed a fusee mechanism which was the first portable mechanism to run without liquid lubricants. After a further period as Managing Director of A. & M. Fell, he established himself on his own account. Charged for a period with the care of the horological collection at the National Maritime Museum, Greenwich, he also specialised in the restoration of complicated watches. At the same time he designed a number of limited edition docks and double and triple tourbillon timepieces. One of his triple tourbillons the first such design ever made - is in the Collection of the Time Museum, Rockford, Illinois. In 1978, Good joined the British Museum as Curator of Horology. While he was there, he collaborated on the Catalogue of Precision Watches, and began work on the Catalogue of Lever Watches, currently in progress. In addition he has written four other books and numerous articles. Still a practising horological designer, his latest conception is an angle tourbillon which greatly simplifies the complexity of the triple tourbillon. He is a Fellow and silver medallist of the Horological Institute, as well as being on the livery of the Clockmakers' Company and a Fellow of the Society of Antiquaries. Note for a) to c): Developed in the research department of S. Smith & Sons, Great Sutton Street, Clerkenwell, the plates, cocks and bridges were made by Peter Amis, the steel parts and gear train by Richard Good. The movement was dual purpose in that the selfwinding work could be removed to make a conventional, manually wound version. Among differences that may be noted between the prototype and the production model, the most noticeable is that the weight in the prototype is flexibly mounted with post and jewelled bearings while that in the production model is mounted on a ball-race. The production model also has a locking device to disengage the self-winding clicks from the fine tooth ratchet wheel so that the watch can be let down. Note for d): The fitting of a free-sprung balance with inner and outer terminal curves was carried out as an exercise by Richard Good and is probably the only time it has been done in a wristwatch.