Important Modern and Vintage Timepieces

Hong Kong, Feb 26, 2012

LOT 415

GARRARD & CO., ?THE MAHARAJA OF PATIALA? Garrard & Co,. Ltd., By Appointment to H.M. The King, Crown Jewellers & Goldsmiths. 24 Albemarle Street, London. No.12114. Case with London hallmarks for 1924. Presented to Dev Nath Purofit by H.H. Maharaja Dhiraj of Patiala in 1936. Very fine, rare and impressive, probably custom ordered, heavy, keyless, 18K yellow gold hunting cased minute-repeating pocket watch with chronograph with 60 minute register and base 70mph tachometer.

HKD 120,000 - 180,000

USD 15,000 - 23,000 / EUR 12,000 - 18,000

Sold: HKD 150,000

C. Four-body, solid, ?bassine?, the front cover with Royal blue enameled monogram MBS under a matching crown, hinged gold cuvette with presentation inscription. D. White enamel with large luminous Arabic numerals, outer minute track with outermost tachometer scale, inset subsidiary dials for constant seconds and 60-minute register. Blued steel luminous skeleton hands. M. Three-quarter plate gilt brass jeweled to the 3rd wheel, wolf?s tooth winding wheels, English lever escapement, engraved cock, cut and compensated bimetallic balance, with gold timing screws, blued steel double overcoil hairspring, diamond end-stone, index regulator. Dial and movement signed, case numbered and stamped with sponsors mark RN (Robert North) Diameter 56 mm, thickness 18.5 mm. Approx. weight 194 g.


LOADING IMAGES
Click to full view
Image
Grading System
Grade:
Case: 3

Good
Movement: 3*

Good

Overhaul recommended, at buyer's expense
Dial: 3-01

Good

HANDS Original

Notes

The Maharaja's full title was: Lieut.-Gen. H. II. Farzand-i-Ikhas-i- Daulat-i-Inglishia, Mansure-i-Zaman, Amir-it-Umra, Maharaja Dhiraj Raj Rajeshwar Shree, Maharaja-i-Rajgan Maharaja Sir Bhupindra Singh, Mohinder Bahadur, Yacht Vanshavatans Bhatti Kul Bhushan, Maharaja Dhiraj of Patiala, G.C.S.I., G.C.V.O., G.B.E. He was ruling Prince of Patiala State from 1891 to 1938. The Princely State of Patiala is in the Punjab, in N. W. India, and was the largest Sikh State. The British occupied Punjab in 1849 and later designated it a province. The Maharaja of Patiala appreciated precious objects, jewelry and of course watches. From about 1925 he is known to have been one of the great clients of Cartier and indeed commissioned Cartier to remodel his crown jewels, probably the biggest commission of all time in terms of quality and quantity. In 1929, before consigning the elegant re-workings to the Moil Bagh Palace in Patiala, Cartier organized a splendid exhibition of the Maharaja's jewels, in Paris, at the rue de la Paix, which attracted wide publicity. As mentioned in an article in the Antiquarian Horologe issue of December 1984, p. 156, the Maharaja had many interests among which "shooting, cricket, polo and motoring, and he was one of the fi rst in India to have an automobile, a French Dc Dion Bouton in 1898. He was also the fi rst Indian prince to have a 20 h.p. Rolls Royce; (1922 Barker Tourer on a chassis 4'2 G2) Nine further examples of this model were added to his collection which at one time totaled thirty eight Rolls Royce cars.
Pocket watches of this complexity and quality are very rare to fi nd from the London Royal Jewlellers Garrard & Co. Considering the combined aspects of a luminous dial and chronograph tachometer scaled from *15-70mph over a ¼ mile distance, it can be reasonably be assumed this was specially ordered by the Maharaja with these characteristics in 1924 for his personal use and later gifted in 1936 when pocket watches were considered unfashionable. Dev Nath Purohit was author of the book ?Guide to Udaipur? published in 1938.
* Drag races between two cars are usually held over a ¼ mile distance.