Important Collectors Wristwatches, P...
Geneva, Nov 16, 2008
LOT 238
The Grand Musical Coach Watch, No. 8 Jno. Brockbank, London, No. 8. Made for the Chinese market, circa 1780. Very fine and extremely rare, very large, two-tune musical, gilt coach watch, with center-seconds and stop-feature, playing music on the hour or at will with six hammers on six bells.
CHF 80,000 - 100,000
USD 75,000 - 92,000 / EUR 50,000 - 65,000
C. Two-body, hinged polished bezel, finely pierced and engraved foliate back with apertures for winding, large cast and chased foliate bow. D. White enamel with radial Roman numerals, outer minute and seconds divisions with Arabic five-second numerals. Gold beetle and poker hands. M. Two-tier, foliate engraved full-plate with openings for the nest of bells and the musical cylinder, both secured by detachable bridges, tapered cylindrical pillars, fusée and chain mounted within a small plate between the dial plate and the middle plate, cylinder escapement with flat steel balance, flat balance spring, engraved regulation dial on the backplate with blued steel hand. Musical train with fusee and chain, six hammers on six bells, pinned brass cylinder mounted vertically, fly mounted beneath a separate cock on the back plate, levers for stop feature, musical selection and music activatation in the bezel. Movement signed. Diam. 132 mm.
| Grading System | |
|---|---|
Grade: |
|
Case: 3 |
Good |
Movement: 3 |
Good |
Dial: 3-23-03 |
Good Later HANDS Period |
Notes
Watches using this type of pinned cylinder and a nest of bells are extremely rare, this watch is also unusually large and finely made. Six hammers play on what is so aptly named a nest of bells, six bells of decreasing size inside one another. The musical cylinder can be shifted into two positions to play two tunes, they have a diatonic scale between c3-a3 and the melody makes maximum use of the possibilities and a magnificent example of the bell tuners? art. The scale of the bells is as follows: c3-d-e-f-g-a3.
Coach Watches As the name indicates, they were used by people going on long trips. The watch was suspended in a conspicuous place in one?s carriage and kept time for the many hours of the journey, not only using the dial but the striking mechanism for the hours of darkness.
John Brockbank Worked in Old Jewry and later Cooper?s court in London. He was apprecticed in 1761 and admitted to the Clockmakers Company in 1769.
Literature: Royal Music Machines, edited by Dr. J.J.L. Haspels, 2006, p. 155. fcNov08_pg158-173.qxd:Test IRL 3 9/10/08 11:01 Page 172